TW201506986A - Systems and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

Ion sources, systems and methods are disclosed.

Description

System and method

The disclosure relates to ion sources, systems, and methods.

Ions can be formed using, for example, a liquid metal ion source or a gas field ion source. In some instances, ions formed by an ion source can be used to determine certain characteristics of the same exposure to the plasma, or to modify the sample. In other examples, ions formed by an ion source can be used to determine certain characteristics of the ion source itself.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam having a spot size on a surface of one of the samples, the spot size having 10 nm or more Small one size.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising an ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam having a spot size on a surface of one of the samples, the spot size having a size of 3 nm or less One size.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising gas field ions capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam having a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of a sample. source.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising an ion beam capable of interacting with a gas to produce a reduced brightness of 5 x 10 ⁸ A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of a sample. Gas field ion source.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam having an ^{exhibitance of} 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source comprising a conductive tip. The gas field ion source is capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam for a period of one week or longer without removing the conductive tip from the system.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to generate an ion beam for a period of one week or longer, having 10 hours or One of the shorter total interruption time.

In one aspect, the invention features an ion microscope capable of producing an image of the same type. The sample is different from the ion microscope and the image of the sample has a resolution of 3 nm or less.

In another aspect, the invention features a gas field ion microscope capable of producing an image of the same image. The sample is different from the gas field ion microscope, and the image of the sample has a resolution of 10 nm or less.

In another aspect, the invention features a gas field ion microscope having a quality factor of 0.25 or greater.

In another aspect, the invention features an ion microscope having a damage test value of 25 nm or less.

In one aspect, the invention features an ion microscope comprising an ion source having a conductive tip having a termination frame having 20 or fewer atoms.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source having a conductive tip having an average full cone angle from 15° to 45°.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source comprising a conductive tip having an average radius of curvature of 200 nm or less.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source having a conductive tip having a termination having one or more atoms. Configuring the system such that the one or more atoms interact with a gas to generate an ion beam during use of the system, and generate an ion beam via interaction of the gas with only one atom of the one or more atoms Reach 70% or more of the ions on one of the surfaces.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source having a conductive tip capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam. The system also includes ion optics configured to pass at least a portion of the ion beam through the ion optics during use. The system further includes a movement mechanism coupled to the gas field ion source such that the movement mechanism can transfer the conductive tip, tilt the conductive tip, or both.

In another aspect, the invention features a system that includes the ability to An ion source that interacts with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same to cause a plurality of different types of particles to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least two different types of particles of a plurality of different types of particles. A variety of different types of particles are selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause particles to exit the sample. The particles are selected from the group consisting of Auger electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons. The system also includes at least one detector configured to determine at least some of the particles to determine information about the sample during use.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause particles to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the particles during use. For a given detection particle, the at least one detector generates a signal based on the energy of one of the given detection particles.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause particles to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the particles during use. For a given detected particle, the at least one The detector generates a signal based on the angle of the track of one of the given detected particles.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause scattered ions to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the scattered ions during use. The system further includes an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that during use the electronic processor can process information based on the detected scattered ions to determine information about the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same source to cause the primary neutral particles to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the primary particles during use. The system further includes an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that during use the electronic processor can process information based on the detected primary particles to determine information about the sample.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same source to cause photons to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the photons during use. The system further includes an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that during use the electronic processor can process information based on the detected photons to determine information about the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same ion to cause secondary ions to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the secondary ions during use. The system further includes an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that during use the electronic processor can process information based on the detected secondary ions to determine information about the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same amount to cause secondary neutral particles to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the secondary neutral particles during use. The system further includes an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that during use the electronic processor can process information based on the detected secondary neutral particles to determine information about the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same source to cause the electron beam to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect at least some of the at least one detector during use. The system further includes an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that during use the electronic processor can process information based on the detected electronic components to determine information about the sample.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause ions to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect the plasma during use by the at least one detector. The interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes the secondary electron to leave the sample, and when the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes the secondary electron to leave the sample, at least one detector can detect at least some of the plasma without detecting These secondary electrons.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause neutral particles to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect the neutral particles during use by the at least one detector. The interaction of the ion beam with the sample can cause the secondary electrons to leave the sample, and when the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes the secondary electrons to leave the sample, at least one detector can detect at least some of the neutral particles. These secondary electrons are not detected.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause photons to exit the sample. The system also includes at least one detector configured to detect the photons during use by the at least one detector. The interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes the secondary electrons to leave the sample, and when the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes the secondary electrons to leave the sample, at least one detector can detect at least some of the photons without detecting The secondary electrons are measured.

In one aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam having a spot size on a surface of one of the samples, the spot size having 10 nm or more Small one size. The system also includes ion optics configured to direct an ion beam to a surface of the sample, the ion optics having at least one adjustable setting. When the ion optics adjustable setting is at the first setting, the ion beam interacts with the first position of the sample. When the ion optics adjustable setting is at the second setting, the ion beam will interact with the second position of the sample. The first setting of ion optics is different from the second setting of ion optics, and the first position of the sample is different from the second position of the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam directed to the same. The system also includes a source of charged particles that is configured to provide a charged particle beam directed to the sample during use. The gas field ion source is different from the source of charged particles.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising interacting an ion beam with an isotype to cause a plurality of different types of particles to exit the sample, and detecting at least two different types of particles of the plurality of different types of particles . A variety of different types of particles are selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the particles to exit the sample. The particles are selected from the group consisting of Auger electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, and scattered particles. Shoot ions and photons. The method also includes detecting at least some of the particles to determine information about the sample.

In one aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the particles to exit the sample. The method also includes generating a signal from the detector based on energy of a particle detected by a detector.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the particles to exit the sample. The method also includes generating a signal from the detector based on an angle of a track of a particle detected by a detector.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the scattered ions to exit the sample . The method also includes detecting at least some of the scattered ions and determining information about the sample based on the detected scattered ions.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same to cause a neutral particle to exit The sample. The method also includes detecting at least some of the neutral particles and determining information about the sample based on the detected neutral particles.

In one aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and The ion beam interacts with the same to cause photons to leave the sample. The method also includes detecting at least some of the photons and determining information about the sample based on the detected photons.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same to cause the secondary ion to exit the sample. The method also includes detecting at least some of the secondary ions.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and interacting the ion beam with the same to cause secondary neutral particles Leave the sample. The method also includes detecting at least some of the secondary neutral particles or particles derived from the secondary neutral particles.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same electron to cause the electron to leave the electron sample. The method also includes detecting at least some of the such electronic components.

In one aspect, the invention features a method comprising forming a gas field ion source and, after forming the gas field ion source, placing the ion source in a reaction chamber to provide a gas field ion system.

In another aspect, an ion source having an emission axis is formed, and after the ion source is formed, the emission axis of the ion source is aligned with an entrance axis of an ion optical system.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, the ion The beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample having a size of 10 nm or less and moving the ion beam from a first position on the surface of the sample to the surface of the sample a second position, the first position being different from the second position.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source and contacting the same with the ion beam. The method also includes contacting the sample with a charged particle beam from a charged particle source.

In one aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the particles to exit the sample. The method also includes detecting at least some of the particles and determining crystallization information about the sample based on the detected particles.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source and inducing a voltage across a portion of the sample. The method also includes detecting particles to determine voltage contrast information about the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the particles to exit the sample. The sample includes at least a first material and a second material. The method also includes distinguishing the first and second materials based on the particles.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and The ion beam interacts with an activating gas to promote a chemical reaction on one of the surfaces.

In one aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and using the ion beam to determine subsurface information about the semiconductor article. The method also includes compiling the semiconductor article based on the subsurface information.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and using the ion beam to determine information about the semiconductor article. The ion beam has a spot size of 10 nm or less on one surface of the semiconductor article. The method also includes compiling the semiconductor article based on the information.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and using the ion beam to determine information about a reticle reticle. The ion beam has a spot size of 10 nm or less on one surface of the semiconductor article. The method also includes repairing the lithography mask based on the information.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising patterning a photoresist on a sample using an ion beam. The ion beam has a spot size of 10 nm or less on the sample.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and contacting the ion beam with a native contact comprising a feature. The ion beam has a spot size of 50 nm or less on one of the surfaces of one of the samples. The method also includes determining the size of the feature.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and causing the ion beam to interact with the same species to cause the particles to exit the sample. The sample has multiple stacked layers comprising first and second layers. The method also includes detecting the particles to determine whether to use the first layer to temporarily store the second layer.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising exposing the same to a focused ion beam and generating a second ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source. The method also includes exposing the sample to the second ion beam.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising forming a conductive tip of a gas field ion source when a gas field ion source system is present within an ion microscope.

In one aspect, the invention features a system that includes an ion source. The system is capable of imaging an ion source in a first mode and the system is capable of using an ion source in a second mode to collect an image of the same. This sample is different from the ion source.

In another aspect, the invention features a manipulator that includes a cover, a disk supported by the cover, and a component supported by the disk (the component has a bracket and is configured to support the same Surface) and a device. The device contacts the component to move the sample in the first mode and the device does not contact the component in the second mode.

In another aspect, the invention features a system that includes a gas field ion source and the same manipulator. The sample manipulator includes a cover, a disc supported by the cover, and a component supported by the disk (the component has a support The frame is configured to support a surface as well as a device. The device contacts the component to move the sample in the first mode and the device does not contact the component in the second mode.

In one aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating a first ion beam comprising ions by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and removing non-single band electrochemical species from the first ion beam To form a second ion beam comprising a single charged ion.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce a beam comprising a chemical species comprising a band electrochemical species. The system also includes at least one bias electrode configured to cause the ion beam path of the chemical species in the ion beam to diverge according to the charge of the chemical species.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating ions by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and spraying the ions with ions.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source, and generating a beam of electrons using a system different from the gas ion source. The method also includes using the ion beam and the electron beam to investigate the same.

In another aspect, the invention features a system comprising a scanning electron microscope capable of providing an electron beam. The system also includes a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam. A fixed scanning electron microscope and a gas field ion microscope are used to use the electron beam with the ion beam for investigation during use.

In another aspect, the invention features a method comprising generating a first ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source. The first ion beam has a first current. The method also includes using the first ion beam having the first current to prepare the gas field ion source for investigating the same. The method also includes generating a second ion beam by interacting a gas with the gas field ion source. The second ion beam has a second current. Additionally, the method also includes using the second ion beam to investigate the sample.

Particular embodiments may include one or more of the following advantages.

In some embodiments, an ion source (e.g., a gas field ion source) can provide a relatively small spot size on the surface of a sample. An ion microscope (e.g., a gas field ion microscope) using this ion source can, for example, obtain an image of the same image having a relatively high resolution.

In some embodiments, an ion source (eg, a gas field ion source) can have a relatively high brightness and/or a relatively high decrease in brightness. An ion microscope (e.g., a gas field ion microscope) using this ion source can, for example, obtain a good quality image in a relatively short period of time, which in turn can increase the speed at which a large number of samples can be imaged.

In some embodiments, an ion source (eg, a gas field ion source) can have a relatively high brightness for a given ion current (eg, a relatively low spread). An ion microscope (e.g., a gas field ion microscope) using this ion source can, for example, obtain a good quality image of the same size with relatively minor damage to the sample.

In some embodiments, a gas field ion microscope can have relatively high reliability. Therefore, for example, a gas field ion source can be used Up to an extended period of time without replacing the gas field ion source, which can, for example, increase the speed at which a large number of samples can be imaged, reduce downtime associated with imaging large numbers of samples, and/or reduce and make large numbers of samples The cost associated with imaging.

In some embodiments, an ion microscope (eg, a gas field ion microscope) is configured to substantially decouple the vibration from the ion source. This enhances the ability of the ion microscope to achieve one or more of the above advantages.

In some embodiments, an ion microscope (e.g., a gas field ion microscope) can be operated at relatively high temperatures while still providing one or more of the above advantages. For example, liquid nitrogen can be used as a coolant required for ion microscopy. This can reduce the cost and/or complexity associated with the use of certain other coolants, such as liquid helium. This can also reduce potential problems associated with certain mechanical systems used in liquid helium coolants that may establish substantial vibration.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description, drawings and claims.

100‧‧‧ system

110‧‧‧ gas source

120‧‧‧ gas field ion source

130‧‧‧Ion Optics

132‧‧‧ longitudinal axis

133‧‧‧ entrance opening

140‧‧‧sample manipulator

142‧‧‧Atomic

144‧‧‧Atomic

146‧‧‧Atomic

148‧‧‧Ionized disc

150‧‧‧ front side detector

152‧‧‧virtual source

154‧‧‧ line

156‧‧‧ Track

160‧‧‧Backside detector

170‧‧‧Electronic Control System

172a-172f‧‧‧ communication line

180‧‧‧ sample

181‧‧‧ surface

182‧‧‧ gas

183‧‧‧ surface

186‧‧‧ tip

187‧‧‧ tip apex

188‧‧‧ suppressor

190‧‧‧ extractor

191‧‧‧ openings

192‧‧‧Ion Beam

192a‧‧‧氦 ion

192b‧‧‧氦Atom

192c‧‧‧Ion Beam

193‧‧‧ distal

194‧‧‧ particles

200‧‧‧Microscope system

202‧‧‧First vacuum enclosure

204‧‧‧Second vacuum enclosure

206‧‧‧ tip

207‧‧‧ axis

208‧‧‧ tip manipulator

216‧‧‧ first lens

218‧‧‧ astigmatism corrector

219‧‧‧Scan deflector

220‧‧‧Aligning deflector

221‧‧‧Scan deflector

222‧‧‧Aligning deflector

223‧‧‧ deflector

223a‧‧‧ deflector

223b‧‧‧ deflector

223c‧‧‧ deflector

224‧‧‧ aperture

224a‧‧‧ aperture

224b‧‧‧ aperture

225‧‧‧ openings

225a-225g‧‧‧ openings

226‧‧‧second lens

227‧‧‧ pivot point

228‧‧‧ delivery tube

229a-229e‧‧‧ openings

230‧‧‧Flow Regulator

232‧‧‧temperature controller

234‧‧‧ aperture bottom plate

236‧‧‧vacuum pump

237‧‧‧vacuum pump

280‧‧ samples

300‧‧‧ cutting-edge

302‧‧‧W atom

304‧‧‧W atom

502‧‧‧Axis

503‧‧‧Import

504‧‧‧Dome

505‧‧‧Import

506‧‧‧ arrow

508‧‧‧Base

510‧‧‧Flanking

512‧‧‧ surface

513‧‧‧ surface

514‧‧‧Transfer

516‧‧‧ openings

518‧‧‧ surface

519‧‧‧ surface

520‧‧‧Accessories

522a‧‧‧ pillar

522b‧‧‧ pillar

524‧‧‧Base

526a‧‧‧heater line

526b‧‧‧heater circuit

528‧‧‧ pioneer route

550‧‧‧Support fittings

552‧‧‧Installation arm

554‧‧‧ spacers

556‧‧‧Base

600‧‧‧ET detector

601‧‧‧ particle selector

602‧‧‧Transition materials

604‧‧‧Support

606‧‧‧Photon detector

607‧‧‧Voltage source

608‧‧‧Voltage source

610‧‧‧ charged particles

612‧‧‧Photon

620‧‧‧Detector

622‧‧‧ surface

624‧‧‧ arrow

730‧‧‧ delivery tube

732‧‧‧Imported 埠

734‧‧‧vacuum pump

736‧‧‧ delivery nozzle

840‧‧‧Lanced gun

842‧‧‧electron beam

843a‧‧ Track

843b‧‧‧ Track

843c‧‧ Track

845‧‧‧ conversion board

846‧‧‧Charge layer

847‧‧‧Secondary Electronics

848‧‧‧ normal

850‧‧‧ track

852‧‧‧ Collector electrode

854‧‧‧ conductor

900‧‧‧Friction tripod

902‧‧‧Support disc

904‧‧‧

906‧‧‧ guide pin

908‧‧‧ drive

910‧‧‧ aperture

1016‧‧‧ Collector

1016b‧‧‧ Collector

1016c‧‧‧ Collector

1100‧‧‧Detector

1102‧‧‧氦 ion

1510‧‧‧sample holder assembly

1511‧‧‧ Subject

1512‧‧‧ openings

1514‧‧‧ sample station

1516‧‧‧ surface disc

1518‧‧‧arm

1520‧‧‧Clamp

1522‧‧‧Connector

1524‧‧‧Aperture

1600‧‧‧ tripod

1700‧‧‧island

1710‧‧‧Carbon surface

1730‧‧‧ arrow

1740‧‧‧Asymptotic

1750‧‧‧ asymptote

1760‧‧‧ vertical line

1770‧‧‧ vertical line

2010‧‧‧positive layer

2012‧‧‧Secondary Electronics

2014‧‧‧Free Electronics

2016‧‧‧negative charge layer

Sample of 7010‧‧‧

7012‧‧‧Area

7013‧‧‧ surface

7014‧‧‧Area

7015‧‧‧ surface

7016‧‧‧Area

7017‧‧‧ surface

7020‧‧‧scatter pattern

7030‧‧‧scatter pattern

7040‧‧‧scatter pattern

7041‧‧‧Detector

7050‧‧‧Detector

8050‧‧‧ sample

8052‧‧‧Area

8053‧‧‧ surface

8054‧‧‧Area

8055‧‧‧ surface

8056‧‧‧Area

8057‧‧‧ surface

8058‧‧‧Area

8059‧‧‧ surface

8061‧‧‧ surface

8070‧‧‧scatter pattern

8080‧‧‧scatter pattern

8090‧‧‧scatter pattern

80110‧‧‧scatter pattern

80120‧‧‧hemispherical detector

80130‧‧‧Detector

80140‧‧‧Detector

He ⁺ ‧‧‧ ions

He ²⁺ ‧‧‧ ions

Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of an ion microscope system.

Figure 2 is a schematic illustration of a gas field ion source.

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of an enlarged side view of one embodiment of a tip apex.

Figure 4 is a schematic representation of an enlarged side view of the tip of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a schematic illustration of a helium ion microscope system.

Figure 6 is a schematic representation of an enlarged top view of one embodiment of a W (111) tip.

Figure 7 is a schematic representation of an enlarged side view of the W (111) tip of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a side elevational view showing a tip of a cone angle measurement.

Figure 9 is a side elevational view showing a tip of a radius of curvature measurement.

Figure 10 is a flow chart showing a specific embodiment of a method of manufacturing a tip.

Figure 11A is a perspective view of one embodiment of a support assembly for a tip.

Figure 11B is a bottom plan view of the support assembly of Figure 11A.

Figure 12 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of a support assembly including a Vogel base for supporting a tip.

Figure 13 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of a gas field separation source and ion optics.

Figure 14 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an ion optical system.

Figure 15 is a top plan view of one embodiment of a multi-open aperture.

Figure 16 is a top plan view of one embodiment of a multi-open aperture.

Figure 17 is a cross-sectional view of one embodiment of a movement mechanism for the tip of a gas field ion microscope.

Figure 18 is a schematic illustration of an Everhart-Thornley detector.

Figure 19 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a gas field ion microscope system including a microchannel plate detector.

20A and 20B are a side view and a plan view of a gold island supported by a carbon surface.

Figure 20C is a plot of the average measured secondary electron total abundance as a function of ion beam position for the samples of Figures 20A and 20B.

21 is a schematic illustration of a portion of a gas field ion microscope including a gas delivery system.

Figure 22 is a schematic illustration of a portion of a gas field ion microscope containing a first-class gun.

Fig. 23 is a schematic view showing the same as that of a surface charge layer.

Figure 24 is a schematic illustration of a collector electrode for reducing one of the surface charges on the same surface.

Figure 25 is a schematic illustration of a flow gun assembly for reducing the same surface charge.

Figure 26 is a schematic illustration of a first-class gun assembly containing a conversion plate for reducing the same surface charge.

Figure 27A is a schematic representation of a sample of a positively charged layer disposed therein.

Figure 27B is a schematic representation of a sample of a positively charged and negatively charged layer disposed therein.

28 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an oscillating decoupled sample manipulator.

29 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an oscillating decoupled sample manipulator.

Figure 30 is a schematic illustration of one embodiment of an oscillating decoupled sample manipulator.

Figure 31 is used to separate one of the ions in the particle beam and one of the neutral atoms. Schematic diagram of the filtering system.

Figure 32 is a schematic illustration of an electrostatic filter system for separating neutral atoms, single charged ions, and double charged ions in a particle beam.

Figure 33 is a schematic illustration of one of an electric and magnetic field filtering system comprising a non-dispersive sequence for separating neutral atoms, single charged ions, and double charged ions in a particle beam.

Figure 34A is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of a erbium ion scattering pattern from a surface.

Figure 34B is a graph showing the relative abundance of scattered erbium ions detected by the detector of Figure 34A.

35A, 35D and 35G show schematic diagrams of individual embodiments of erbium ion scattering patterns from the use of different detectors to detect the surface of one of the scattered erbium ions.

Figures 35B, 35E and 35H are plots of the total scattered helium ion yield for the system shown in Figures 35A, 35D and 35G, respectively.

Figures 35C, 35F and 35I are plots of the relative abundance of scattered erbium ions detected by the detectors of Figures 35A, 35D and 35G, respectively.

Figure 36 is a schematic diagram showing a portion of a gas field ion microscope including one of the detectors for measuring scattered ions from the same.

37A to 37D are scanning electron microscope images of a conductive tip.

Figure 38 is a digital representation of the surface of a conductive tip.

Figure 39 is a plot of the slope of the surface shown in Figure 38.

Figure 40 is a field ion microscope image of a conductive tip having a terpolymer as a terminal holder at its apex.

Figure 41 is a scanning field ion microscope image of a conductive tip, the conductive tip At its apex there is a terpolymer as a terminal frame.

Figure 42 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 43 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 44 is a scanning field ion microscope image of a conductive tip.

Figure 45 is a field ion microscope image of a conductive tip having a terpolymer as a terminal frame at its apex.

Figure 46 is a scanning electron microscope image of a conductive tip.

Figure 47 is a field ion microscope image of a conductive tip.

Figure 48 is a field ion microscope image of a conductive tip.

Figure 49 is a field ion microscope image of a conductive tip.

Figure 50 is a scanning field ion microscope image of a conductive tip having a terpolymer as a terminal holder at its apex.

Figure 51 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 52 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 53 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 54 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 55 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 56 is a schematic representation of a support for a tip.

Figure 57 is a schematic representation of a support for a tip.

Figure 58 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 59A is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Fig. 59B is an image of the same image taken by a scanning electron microscope.

Figure 60 is a graph of secondary electron current from the same.

Figure 61A is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Fig. 61B is an image of the same image taken by a scanning electron microscope.

Figure 62 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 63 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 64 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 65 is an image of the same image taken with a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 66 is a specific embodiment of a detector configuration configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 67A is a graph of secondary electron intensities at the sample position based on the variation of the image in Figure 59A.

Figure 67B is based on the secondary power at the sample position of the image in Figure 59B. A graph of sub-strength.

Figure 68 is an image of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect cesium ions and neutral erbium atoms.

Figures 69A through 69C are images of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect cesium ions and neutral erbium atoms.

Figure 70A is an image of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect cesium ions and neutral erbium atoms.

Figure 70B is a plot showing the polarity of the angular intensity of the erbium and erbium atoms of the sample exiting the image of Figure 70A.

Figure 71A is an image of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect cesium ions and neutral erbium atoms.

Figure 71B is a plot showing the polarities of the angular intensities of the erbium ions and erbium atoms from the sample of the image of Figure 71A.

Figure 72 is an image of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect helium ions and neutral helium atoms.

Figure 73 is an image of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect cesium ions and neutral erbium atoms.

Figure 74 is an image of the same image taken using a helium ion microscope configured to detect photons.

Figure 75 is an image of the same image taken using a helium ion microscope configured to detect secondary electrons.

Figure 76 is an expanded view of a portion of the image of Figure 75.

Figure 77 is a plot of image intensity as a function of pixel location for line scan through the image of Figure 76.

Figure 78 is a plot of the data shown in Figure 77 after the numerical scaling and cropping operations.

Figure 79 is an image of the same image taken by a helium ion microscope configured to detect cesium ions and neutral erbium atoms.

Figure 80 is a plot of image intensity as a function of pixel location for line scan through a portion of the image of Figure 79.

Figure 81 is an image of the same image taken with a scanning electron microscope.

Figure 82 is a plot of image intensity as a function of pixel location for line scan through a portion of the image of Figure 81.

General introduction

Ions can be generated in a microscope system and used for sample imaging and other applications. A microscope system that uses a gas field ion source to generate ions that can be used for sample analysis (eg, imaging) is referred to as a gas field ion microscope. A gas field ion source is a device comprising a conductive tip (typically having a apex with 10 or fewer atoms) that can be used to ionize a neutral gas species to generate ions by (eg using an ion beam) In the form of: placing a neutral gas species near the conductive tip (eg, within a distance of about four to five angstroms) while applying a high positive potential (eg, 1 kV or greater relative to the picker (see description below)) The apex of the conductive tip.

1 shows a schematic diagram of a gas field ion microscope system 100. The system includes a gas source 110, a gas field ion source 120, ion optics 130, the same manipulator 140, a front side detector 150, and a back side detection. The device 160, and an electronic control system 170 (e.g., an electronic processor, such as a computer) that is electrically coupled to the components of the system 100 via communication lines 172a through 172f. Will be the same as this 180 solid Located in/on the sample manipulator 140 between the ion optics 130 and the detectors 150, 160. During use, ion beam 192 is directed through ion optics 130 to surface 181 of sample 180, and particles 194 resulting from the interaction of ion beam 192 with sample 180 are measured by detectors 150 and/or 160.

In general, it is desirable to reduce the occurrence of certain undesirable chemical species in the system by evacuating the system 100. In general, different components of system 100 are maintained at different background pressures. For example, the gas field ion source 120 can be maintained at a pressure of approximately 10 ^-10 Torr. When a gas is introduced into the gas field ion source 120, the background pressure will rise to approximately 10 ^-5 Torr. The ion optics 130 is maintained at a background pressure of approximately 10 ^-8 Torr and then gas is introduced into the gas field ion source 120. When a gas is introduced, the background pressure in ion optics 130 typically rises to near 10 ^-7 Torr. Sample 180 is affixed to a reaction chamber that is typically maintained at a background pressure of approximately 10 ^-6 Torr. This pressure does not vary to a large extent due to the presence or absence of gas in the gas field ion source 120.

As shown in FIG. 2, gas source 110 is configured to supply one or more gases 182 to gas field ion source 120. As explained in more detail below, the gas source 110 can be configured to supply gas at various purities, flows, pressures, and temperatures. In general, at least one of the gases supplied by the gas source 110 is an inert gas (helium (He), neon (Ne), argon (Ar), krypton (Kr), xenon (Xe)), and such inertness is required. The ions of the gas are the major components in the ion beam 192. In general, as measured on surface 181 of sample 180, the current in the ion beam 192 will increase without change as the pressure of the inert gas in system 100 increases. In some embodiments, the relationship can be illustrated by a power law in which the current generally increases in proportion to the gas pressure for a range of inert gas pressures. During operation, the pressure of the inert gas is typically 10 ^-2 Torr or less (eg, 10 ^-3 Torr or less, 10 ^-4 Torr or less) adjacent to the tip of the tip (see description below), and/or 10 ^-7 Torr or more (for example, 10 ^-6 Torr or more, 10 ^-5 Torr or more). In general, relatively high purity gases are required (eg, to reduce the appearance of undesirable chemical species in the system). For example, when hydrazine is used, hydrazine can be at least 99.99% pure (eg, 99.995% purity, 99.999% purity, 99.9995% purity, 99.9999% purity). Similarly, when other inert gases (Ne gas, Ar gas, Kr gas, Xe gas) are used, the purity of the gas is required to be a high purity commercial grade.

Optionally, in addition to the inert gas, the gas source 110 may also supply one or more gases. As explained in more detail below, one example of this gas is nitrogen. In general, although the additional gas may occur at a level above the level of impurities in the inert gas, the additional gas still constitutes a minority component of the overall gas mixture introduced by the gas source 110. For example, in a particular embodiment in which helium gas and Ne gas are introduced into gas field ion source 120 by gas source 110, the overall gas mixture can comprise 20% or less (eg, 15% or less, 12% or more). Less, Ne, and/or 1% or more (for example, 3% or more, 8% or more) of Ne. For example, in a particular embodiment where helium gas and Ne gas are introduced by gas source 110, the overall gas mixture can comprise from 5% to 15% (eg, from 8% to 12%, from 9% to 11%) of Ne. By way of further example, in a particular embodiment where helium gas and nitrogen gas are introduced by gas source 110, the overall gas mixture can comprise 1% or less (eg, 0.5% or less, 0.1% or less) of nitrogen, And/or 0.01% or more (for example, 0.05% or more) of nitrogen. For example, in a specific embodiment in which helium gas and nitrogen gas are introduced by gas source 110, the overall gas mixture Nitrogen may be included in an amount from 0.01% to 1% (e.g., from 0.05% to 0.5%, from 0.08% to 0.12%). In some embodiments, the additional gas system is mixed with an inert gas and then passed to system 100 (e.g., via the use of a gas manifold, which mixes the gas and then delivers the mixture to system 100 through a single inlet). In some embodiments, the additional gas system is mixed with an inert gas and then enters system 100 (eg, a separate inlet is used to feed each gas into system 100, but the separate inlets are sufficiently close together, thus the gas It becomes a hybrid and then interacts with any of the elements in the gas field ion source 120).

The gas field ion source 120 is configured to receive one or more gases 182 from the gas source 110 and to generate gas ions from the gas 182. The gas field ion source 120 includes a conductive tip 186 having a tip apex 187, a skimmer 190, and a suppressor 188 as desired. In general, the distance from the tip apex 187 to the surface 181 of the sample 180 (not shown in Figure 2) is 5 cm or greater (e.g., 10 cm or greater, 15 cm or greater, 20 cm or greater, 25 cm or greater). And/or 100 cm or less (for example, 80 cm or less, 60 cm or less, 50 cm or less). For example, in some embodiments, the distance from the tip apex 187 to the surface 181 of the sample 180 is from 5 cm to 100 cm (eg, from 25 cm to 75 cm, from 40 cm to 60 cm, from 45 cm to 55 cm).

The conductive tip 186 can be formed from a variety of materials. In some embodiments, the tip 186 is made of a metal (eg, tungsten (W), tantalum (Ta), iridium (Ir), rhenium (Rh), niobium (Nb), platinum (Pt), molybdenum (Mo). form. In some embodiments, the conductive tip 186 can be formed using an alloy. In some embodiments, the conductive tip 186 can be formed from a different material, such as carbon (C).

The tip 186 is positively biased against the picker 190 during use. (eg, close to 20 kV), the skimmer 190 is either positive or negative biased (eg, from -20 kV to +50 kV) for external grounding, and the optional suppressor 188 is biased positive or negative for the tip 186 (eg, from -5 kV to +5kV). Because the tip 186 is formed from a conductive material, the electric field of the tip 186 is pointed outward from the surface of the tip apex 187 at the tip apex 187. Due to the shape of the tip 186, the electric field is strongest near the tip apex 187. For example, the intensity of the electric field at the tip 186 can be adjusted by varying the positive voltage applied to the tip 186. With this configuration, the unionized gas atoms 182 supplied by the gas source 110 are ionized and become positively charged ions near the tip apex 187. The positively charged ions are simultaneously repelled by the positively charged tip 186 and are absorbed by the negatively charged extractor 190, such that the positively charged ions are directed from the tip 186 into the ion optics 130 as the ion beam 192. The suppressor 188 assists in controlling the overall electric field between the tip 186 and the skimmer 190 and thus controls the orbit of positively charged ions from the tip 186 to the ion optics 130. In general, the overall electric field between the tip 186 and the skimmer 190 can be adjusted to control the rate at which the positively charged ions are generated at the tip apex 187, and the positively charged ions are transmitted from the tip 186 to the ion optics 130. The efficiency of adoption.

For example, without wishing to be bound by theory, the sputum can produce strontium ions as follows. The gas field ion source 120 is configured such that the electric field of the tip 186 near the tip apex 187 exceeds the ionization field of the non-ionized helium gas atom 182 and maintains the tip 186 at a relatively low temperature. When the non-ionized helium gas atom 182 is close to the tip apex 187, the helium atom can be polarized by the electric field of the tip, thereby creating a weak absorption force between the helium atom 182 and the tip apex 187. Thus, the germanium atom 182 can contact the tip apex 187 and remain bound thereto (eg, physically adsorbed) for a certain time. Near the tip apex 187, the electric field is high enough The erbium atoms 182 adsorbed on the tip 187 of the tip are ionized to produce positively charged erbium ions (e.g., in the form of an ion beam).

Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the tip apex 187 (formed using W (111), see description below). Tip apex 187 includes an atomic layer configured to form a atomic frame. The terminal atomic frame is formed by the atoms 142. A second atomic frame is formed by the atoms 144, and a third atomic frame is formed by the atoms 146. Neutral gas atoms 182 that are delivered by gas source 110 appear near the tip apex 187. The atom 182 becomes polarized due to the electric field of the tip apex 187 and experiences a relatively weak absorption force that causes the atom 182 to move to the tip apex 187 as indicated by the arrow on the atom 182.

Depending on the strength of the electric field at the tip, each atom in the atomic frame near the tip apex 187 may have a corresponding ionization disk 148. The ionization disk 148 is a region of space in which the neutral germanium atoms have a high probability of undergoing ionization. In general, ionization of a neutral germanium atom occurs via electron tunneling from a neutral germanium atom to a tip apex atom. The ionization disk 148 thus represents a spatial region in which helium ions are generated, and helium ions appear therefrom.

For a particular tip apex atom, the size of the ionization disk 148 is dependent on the shape of the tip apex 187 and the potential applied to the tip apex 187. In general, ionization of germanium atoms can occur in a spatial region adjacent to the tip apex 187 where the local electric field exceeds the ionization potential of the germanium atom. Thus, for larger potentials applied to the tip apex 187, many of the tip atoms will have ionized disks. Additionally, the local electric field near the tip apex 187 depends on the shape of the tip apex 187. For relatively sharp tip vertices, the local electric field near the tip apex 187 will be relatively high. For relatively blunt tips For the apex, even the local electric field near the tip apex 187 will still be small.

In FIG. 3, the ionization discs 148 corresponding to the individual atoms of the tip apex 187 are spatially separated from each other. In some embodiments, if the electric field of the tip apex 187 is sufficiently large, the ionized disks from a plurality of atoms (eg, atoms 142) can spatially overlap, thereby creating a larger ionized disk. An area spanning the space closest to the atoms of a plurality of tip vertices. By reducing the electric field at the tip apex 187, the artifacts occupied by the ionization disk 148 can be reduced, and the geometry described in Figure 3 can be achieved, with a few tip apex atoms having their own individual spatial separations, respectively. Ionized disc. In many instances, because the shape of the tip apex 187 is not easily changed during use of the ion source 120, the electric field near the tip apex 187 is typically controlled by adjusting the potential applied to the tip apex 187.

Some of the ionization discs in Figure 3 can be eliminated by further reducing the potential applied to the tip apex 187. For example, the tip apex 187 is not as sharp as near the second atomic frame atom 144, and by reducing the potential applied to the tip apex 187, the electric field at the tip apex 187 near the atom 144 can be reduced so that the erbium atom is ionized. Appears with high probability in these areas. Therefore, the ionized disc corresponding to the atom 144 does not reappear. However, the electric field at the tip apex 187 near the terminal frame atoms 142 will still be high enough to cause ionization of the germanium atoms, and thus the ionization disk 148 corresponding to the atoms 142 will remain. By carefully controlling the potential applied to the tip apex 187, the ion source 120 can be operated such that only the emerging ionization discs correspond to the terminal frame atoms 142, and the ion discs corresponding to the terminal frame atoms are spatially separated from one another. Thus, ionization occurs near the tip apex 187 via ionization in the vicinity of a particular terminal frame atom. Helium atom.

The higher the probability that the neutral germanium atom 182 has undergone ionization, the longer it remains in the ionization disk 148. The polarization of the germanium atoms initiated by the electrical location of the tip apex 187 (and this causes the polarized germanium atoms to move to the tip apex 187) further ensures that the polarized germanium atoms remain bound to the tip apex 187, thereby increasing the germanium atoms 182 retention. The amount of time within the ionization disk 148 increases the likelihood of ionization of the polarized germanium atoms over time.

The polarized germanium atoms can also move from one location to another along the surface of the tip apex 187. Since the absorption between the polarized germanium atom and the tip apex 187 depends on the local intensity of the electric field at the tip apex 187 at the position of the polarized germanium atom, the motion of the polarized germanium atom tends to transport the atom to the tip of the tip 186. The end of the apex 187 (e.g., to the terminal frame 142) where the local electric field is the highest. The transport mechanism of this polarized germanium atom is combined with control of the potential applied to the tip 186 (e.g., to ensure that a discrete ionized disk corresponding to only the terminal block atoms 142 will appear), which can be used to operate the ion source 120 for gas passage Field ion source 120 produces a helium ion beam 192 in which individual helium ions in the ion beam are generated via interaction of helium gas with one of terminal block atoms 142. The ion beam 192 thus contains a plurality of helium ions from each of the terminal block atoms 142, wherein each helium ion can be attributed to ionization at one of the terminal block atoms 142.

As explained above, in general, the size and shape of the ionization disk 148 can be modified by varying the potential applied to the tip apex 187, and the adjacent ionization disk 148 can be overlapped with a suitably large applied potential. The disks 148 are spatially kept different from one another by a suitably small applied potential. In general, the ionization disk 148 is separated from the tip atoms 142, 144, and 146. Open a distance close to 0.4 nm. Individual ionized discs corresponding to tip atoms typically have a thickness of approximately 0.02 nm as measured along a direction joining a given disc and one of its corresponding atoms. The ionization disk 148 typically has a diameter that is close to the diameter of the corresponding atom, as measured perpendicular to the direction of the line joining a given disk and its corresponding atom.

4 shows the operational configuration of the tip apex 187, wherein the potential applied to the tip 186 produces three ionized disks 148, each corresponding to one of the three terminal atomic atoms 142. Once helium ions are generated near the tip apex 187, the plasma rapidly accelerates away from the tip due to the large positive tip potential. The erbium ions accelerate along a plurality of orbitals away from the tip apex 187. Figure 4 shows two such tracks 156. As depicted in Figure 4, track 156 corresponds to the left and right hand limits of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) orbital distribution of the intermediate terminal atoms. Likewise, if the track 156 is extrapolated backward (e.g., along line 154) to the location of the intermediate terminal block atoms, the tracks define a virtual source 152 for the intermediate terminal atoms. The diameter of the virtual source 152 is typically less than the diameter of the intermediate terminal atoms and can be much smaller than the diameter of the intermediate terminal atoms (eg, a factor of 2 or greater, a factor of 3 or greater, a factor of 5 or greater, 10 Or a larger factor). Similar considerations apply to other terminal frame atoms, and each terminal frame atom has a corresponding virtual source size.

The small virtual source size for the terminal shelf atoms can provide several advantages. For example, the smaller virtual source size of the ion beam 192 and the relatively small thickness of the ionization disk 148 (the ions in the ion beam 192 from the disk) can help ensure that the ion beam 192 has a relatively high brightness and A relatively narrow ion energy distribution.

Without wishing to be bound by theory, the use of too low tip temperatures can adversely affect current stability and/or increase the undesirable effects of increased impurity absorption from the tip. In general, the tip 186 has a temperature of 5K or higher (eg, 10K or higher, 25K or higher, 50K or higher, 75K or higher), and/or 100K or lower (eg, 90K or lower, 80K or lower). For example, the temperature of the tip 186 can range from 5K to 100K (eg, from 25K to 90K, from 50K to 90K, from 75K to 80K). The temperature of the tip 186 can be obtained by thermal coupling with a coolant such as liquid helium or liquid nitrogen. Alternatively or additionally, the tip 186 can be thermally cooled using a cryogenic refrigerator.

If the temperature of the tip 186 is too low, the rate at which the helium atoms are transported by moving the absorbed helium atoms to the atoms 142 in the terminal atomic framework of the tip apex 187 is reduced so that there is no rate per unit time. Sufficient helium atoms reach the atom 142 where the plasma can be ionized. Thus, when observing the emission pattern of the tip 186 (eg, by using field ion microscopy (FIM) techniques, or by scanning FIM (SFIM) techniques), the abundance of ions from individual termination atoms is relatively high abundance. Becomes relatively low abundance (commonly known as flash). This may occur, for example, when certain times there is no helium atom available for ionization in the vicinity of the terminal frame atoms. As the temperature of the tip 186 increases, the transmission rate of the terminal of the atom of the helium atom to the tip 187 of the tip increases, and the observation of the high/low abundance of the alternating atom from the terminal block 142 is reduced or eliminated.

It is also believed that if the temperature of the tip 186 is too high, the polarized germanium atoms will have too much kinetic energy to maintain binding with the tip 186 for a sufficiently long period of time to ensure efficient ions of the germanium atoms in the vicinity of the terminal block 142. Chemical. This can also result in the disappearance of emission patterns from individual terminal frame atoms, such as the use of FIM and / Or observed by SFIM imaging technology. Thus, to ensure that the helium ionization process of the terminal frame 142 produces a stable ion current from each of the terminal frame atoms 142, the temperature of the tip 186 is carefully controlled to mitigate undesirable high and low temperature effects.

In general, ion optics 130 is configured to direct ion beam 192 onto surface 181 of sample 180. As explained in more detail below, ion optics 130 can, for example, focus, calibrate, deflect, accelerate, and/or decelerate ions in ion beam 192. The ion optics 130 can also pass only a portion of the ions in the ion beam 192 through the ion optics 130. In general, ion optics 130 includes a variety of electrostatic and other ion optics that are configured as desired. The helium ion beam 192 can be scanned across the surface 181 of the sample 180 by manipulating the electric field strength of one or more components (e.g., electrostatic deflectors) in the ion optics 130. For example, ion optics 130 can include two deflectors that deflect ion beam 192 in two perpendicular directions. The deflector can have a varying electric field strength to raster scan the ion beam 192 across the area of the surface 181.

When the ion beam 192 impinges on the sample 180, a variety of different types of particles 194 can be produced. Such particles include, for example, secondary electrons, oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons (eg, X-ray photons, IR photons, visible light, UV photons). The detectors 150 and 160 are fixed and configured to measure one or more different types of particles produced by the interaction between the helium ion beam 192 and the sample 180, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1, detector 150 is fixed to detect particles 194 that originate primarily from surface 181 of sample 180, and detector 160 is fixed to detect particles 194 that are predominantly apparent from surface 183 of sample 180 (eg, The particles sent). As explained in more detail below, in general, the microscope system disclosed herein can be used with any number and configuration of Detect Detector. In some embodiments, multiple detectors are used and some of the multiple detectors are configured to measure different types of particles. In some embodiments, the detector is configured to provide different information about the same type of particle (eg, energy of the particles, angular distribution of a given particle, total abundance of a given particle). A combination of such detector configurations can be used as needed.

In general, the information measured by the detector is used to determine information about the sample 180. Exemplary information about sample 180 includes topographical information about surface 181, material composition information (of surface 181 and/or subsurface area of sample 180), crystallographic positioning information for sample 180, and voltage contrast information for surface 181 (and The electrical properties thereof, the voltage contrast information about the subsurface area of the sample 180, the optical properties of the sample 180, and/or the magnetic properties of the sample 180. Generally, this information is determined by obtaining one or more images of the sample 180. By raster scanning the ion beam 192 across the surface 181, pixel-by-pixel information about the sample 180 can be obtained in discrete steps. Detectors 150 and 160 can be configured to detect one or more types of particles 194 in each pixel. In general, the pixels are square, although in some embodiments, the pixels can have different shapes (eg, rectangular). The pixel size corresponding to the length of the side of the pixel may be, for example, from 100 pm to 2 μm (for example, from 1 nm to 1 μm). In some embodiments, the location of adjacent pixels can be determined to be within at least 200 pm (eg, within at least 100 pm, within at least 75 pm, within at least 50 pm). Thus the operator of the system can determine the position of the center of the beam spot within at least 200 pm (eg, within at least 100 pm, within at least 75 pm, within at least 50 pm). In some embodiments, the field of view (FOV) of sample 180 is 200 nm or greater (eg, 500 nm or greater, 1 μιη or greater, 50 μιη or greater, 100 μιη or greater, 500 μιη) Or larger, 1 mm or larger, 1.5 mm or larger, and/or 25 mm or smaller (15 mm or smaller, 10 mm or smaller, 5 mm or smaller). The field of view refers to the area of the surface of the sample imaged by an ion microscope.

The operation of microscope system 100 is typically controlled via electronic control system 170. For example, electronic control system 170 can be configured to control the gas supplied by gas source 110, the temperature of tip 186, the potential of tip 186, the potential of extractor 190, the potential of suppressor 188, and the components of ion optics 130. The position of the sample manipulator 140, and/or the position of the detectors 150 and 160. One or more of these parameters can be manually controlled (eg, via a user interface integrated with electronic control system 170) as desired. Alternatively or additionally, electronic control system 170 (eg, via an electronic processor such as a computer) can be used to analyze information collected by detectors 150 and 160 and provide information about sample 180 (eg, terrain information, material composition information, Crystallization information, voltage contrast information, optical property information, magnetic information), which can be used in the form of images, curves, tables, electronic data sheets, etc. as needed. In general, electronic control system 170 includes a user interface that is characterized by a display or other type of output device, input device, and storage medium.

Helium ion microscope system

A. Overview

FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a helium ion microscope system 200. The microscope system 200 includes a first vacuum enclosure 202 that seals the helium ion source and ion optics 130, and a second vacuum enclosure 204 that seals the sample 180 and detectors 150 and 160. Gas source 110 delivers helium gas to microscope system 200 through delivery tube 228. The flow regulator 230 controls the flow of helium gas through the delivery tube 228 and the temperature Controller 232 controls the temperature of the helium gas in gas source 110. The helium ion source includes a tip 186 attached to the tip manipulator 208. The helium ion source also includes a skimmer 190 and a suppressor 188 configured to direct helium ions from the tip 186 into the ion optics 130. The ion optics 130 includes a first lens 216, alignment deflectors 220 and 222, an aperture 224, an astigmatism corrector 218, scanning deflectors 219 and 221, and a second lens 226. The aperture 224 is secured in the aperture bottom plate 234. The sample 180 is mounted in/on the sample manipulator 140 within the second vacuum enclosure 204. The detectors 150 and 160, also fixed in the second vacuum enclosure 204, are configured to detect particles 194 from the sample 180. Gas source 110, tip manipulator 208, skimmer 190, suppressor 188, first lens 216, alignment deflectors 220 and 222, aperture plate 234, astigmatism corrector 218, scanning are typically controlled by electronic control system 170. Deflectors 219 and 221, sample manipulator 140 and/or detectors 150 and/or 160. Optionally, electronic control system 170 also controls vacuum pumps 236 and 237 that are configured to provide a reduced pressure environment within vacuum enclosures 202 and 204 and within ion optics 130.

B. Ion source

As noted above, in general, the tip 186 can be formed from any suitable electrically conductive material. In some embodiments, the tip 186 can be formed from a single crystal material, such as a single crystal metal. In general, the particular single crystal orientation of the terminal frame of the atom of the tip apex 187 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the tip 186 within 3° or less (eg, within 2° or less, within 1° or less). ). In some embodiments, the apex 187 of the tip 186 can have a certain number of atoms (eg, 20 atoms or less, 15 atoms or less, 10 atoms or less, 9 atoms or less, Termination in the atomic frame of 6 atoms or less, 3 atoms or less. For example, the apex 187 of the tip 186 can be formed using W (111) and can have a terminal frame, Has three atoms (trimer). Figures 6 and 7 show schematic representations of enlarged top and side views, respectively, of two atomic shelves of a W-tip 186 that is closest to the apex of the tip. The terminal frame containing three W atoms 302 disposed in the trimer corresponds to the (111) surface of W. Without wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that the surface of the terpolymer is advantageous (according to its ease of formation, re-formation and stability) because the surface energy of the W(111) crystal surface is advantageously supported by A terminal frame formed by an equilateral triangle to form three W atoms of the trimer. The trimer atom 302 is supported by a second terminal frame of the W atom 304.

In some embodiments, the tip 186 can have a termination frame containing less than three atoms or more than three atoms. For example, the W(111) tip can have a terminal frame containing two atoms, or a terminal frame containing only one atom. Alternatively, the W(111) tip can have four or more atoms (eg, five or more atoms, six or more atoms, seven or more atoms, eight or more atoms, nine or more) A terminal frame of polyatoms, ten or more atoms, and more than ten atoms.

Alternatively or additionally, tips corresponding to other W crystallographic localizations (eg, W (112), W (110), or W (100)) may be used, and such tips may have one or more atoms (eg, two or More atoms, three or more atoms, four or more atoms, five or more atoms, six or more atoms, seven or more atoms, eight or more atoms, nine or more A terminal frame of polyatoms, ten or more atoms, and more than ten atoms.

In some embodiments, a tip formed using a material other than the single crystal W (for example, a single crystal of a metal, such as a single crystal of one of the above metals) may be used in the ion source, and such a tip may have one Or multiple atoms (eg two or more atoms, three or more atoms, four or more atoms, five Terminal blocks of more atoms, six or more atoms, seven or more atoms, eight or more atoms, nine or more atoms, ten or more atoms, more than ten atoms.

As explained below, the shape of the tip apex 187 can have an effect on the quality of the ion beam, which can have an impact on the performance of the microscope system 200. For example, the tip apex 187 may be symmetrically formed about its longitudinal axis when viewed from the side, or the tip apex may be asymmetrically formed about its longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, the tip apex 187 can be symmetrically formed about its longitudinal axis when viewed from one or more side views, and the tip apex 187 can be about its longitudinal direction when viewed from one or more different side views. The axis is formed asymmetrically. Figure 8 shows a side view of an exemplary tip 300 (using a magnification that is much smaller than the magnifications in Figures 6 and 7) that is asymmetrically formed for its longitudinal axis 308. From a given side view, parameters such as the average full cone angle and the average cone angle direction can be used to quantify the extent to which the tip 300 is asymmetrically formed along the longitudinal axis 308. These parameters are determined as follows.

An image of the tip 300 was obtained using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Figure 8 is a schematic representation of this image. The tip 300 includes a vertex 310 and a second point 312 both positioned on the longitudinal axis 308, wherein the point 312 is spaced apart from the apex 310 by a μm along the longitudinal axis 308. Image line 314 extends perpendicular to axis 308 and passes through point 312 in the plane of FIG. Line 314 intersects the contour of tip 300 at points 316 and 318. The left cone angle θ _l is the angle between the tangent to the contour of the tip 300 at point 316 and the line 320 (an image line that extends through point 316 and extends parallel to axis 308). Likewise, the right taper angle θ _r is the angle between the tangent to the contour of the tip 300 at point 318 and the line 322 (an image line that extends through point 318 and extends parallel to axis 308). The sum of the full cone angles of the tip 300, θ _l and θ _r . For example, for a given side view, in a particular embodiment where the magnitude of θ _l is 21.3° and the magnitude of θ _r is 11.6°, for this side view, the full cone angle 32.9 for the profile of tip 300 °. Because the tip 300 can appear symmetrical in one side view and asymmetry in a different side view, it is generally desirable to determine the average full cone angle for the tip 300. The average full cone angle is determined by measuring the full cone angle for eight different side views of the tip 300 (each side view corresponding to a side view of the tip 300 that is continuously rotated 45° about the axis 308 for the side view of the previous tip 300), The average of the eight full cone angles thus determined is then calculated to produce an average full cone angle. Without wishing to be bound by theory, if the average full cone angle is too small, an arc may occur during use of the tip (eg, when tip 300 is used to generate ion beam 192), and via helium atoms and The generation of helium ions by the interaction of tip atoms other than the tip atoms on the tip terminal frame may occur due to a large electric field near the tip 300. It is also believed that if the average full cone angle is too large, the ability to rebuild the tip 300 in a reproducible manner can be reduced, and the electric field near the tip 300 can be too low to reliably ionize the helium atoms and produce stable helium ions. Current. In some embodiments, the average full cone angle of the tip 300 can be 45° or less (eg, 42° or less, 40° or less, 35° or less, 32° or less, 31°). Or smaller, and/or the average full cone angle may be 15° or greater (eg, 20° or greater, 23° or greater, 25° or greater, 28° or greater, 29° or greater). ). For example, the average full cone angle of the tip 300 can be between 27 and 33 (e.g., from 28 to 32, from 29 to 31, 30). In some embodiments, the standard deviation of the eight full cone angle measurements is 40% or less of the average full cone angle (eg, 30% or less, 20% or less, 10% or less).

The cone angle direction is half the absolute value of the difference between the magnitudes of θ _l and θ _r . Thus, for example, for a given side view, in a particular embodiment where the magnitude of θ _l is 21.3° and the magnitude of θ _r is 11.6°, the cone angle is 0.5*|21.3°-11.6°| or 4.9°. . For the same reasons explained above for the average full cone angle, it may be necessary to determine the average cone angle of the tip. The average cone angle direction is determined by measuring the cone angle directions for eight different side views of the tip 300 (each side view corresponding to the tip 300 continuously rotating 45° with respect to the axis 308 for the previous view), and then calculating eight The average of the cone angle directions is measured to produce an average cone angle direction. In some embodiments, the average taper direction of the tip 300 can be 10° or less (eg, 9° or less, 8° or less, 7° or less, 6° or less, 5°). Or smaller, and/or the average taper direction of the tip 300 may be 0° or greater (eg, 1° or greater, 2° or greater, 3° or greater, 4° or greater). In some embodiments, the average taper angle of the tip 300 can range from 0° to 10° (eg, from 1° to 10°, from 3° to 10°, from 6° to 10°, from 2° to 8°, from 4° to 6°).

The feature of the tip 300 is also its radius of curvature, which can be determined as follows. Figure 9 shows a schematic side view of the tip 300. In practice, this side view is obtained using SEM. On either side of the longitudinal axis 308, the slope of the profile of the tip 300 is measured. Points 324 and 326 are points on the surface of the tip 300 closest to the apex 310, wherein the slope of the contour of the tip 300 (indicated by the tangent lines 328 and 330, respectively) has a value of 1 and -1 (e.g., a 45° slash). The distance between point 324 and axis 308 (measured perpendicular to axis 308 and in the plane of Figure 9) is the left tangent distance T _l of tip 300. The distance between point 326 and axis 308 (measured perpendicular to axis 308 and in the plane of Figure 9) is the right tangent distance T _l of tip 300. Calculate the left radius R _l as R _l = . T _l and calculate the right radius R _r as R _r = . T _r . The radius of curvature R of the tip 300 is calculated as the average of R _l and R _r . Thus, for example, in a specific embodiment where the T _l is 120 nm and the T _r is 43 nm, R _l is 169 nm, R _r is 61 nm, and R is 115 nm. For the same reasons explained above for the average full cone angle and the average cone angle direction, it may be necessary to determine the average radius of curvature of the tip. The average cone angle is determined by measuring the radius of curvature for eight different side views of the tip 300 (each side view corresponding to the tip 300 continuously rotating 45° with respect to the axis 308 for the previous side view), and then calculating eight The average of the radius of curvature, resulting in an average radius of curvature. Without wishing to be bound by theory, if the radius of curvature is too small, the arc may occur during tip use and/or ionization of helium gas may occur at the tip of the atom at the tip of the tip. Near the tip of the atom. If the average radius of curvature is too large, the ability to rebuild the tip in a reproducible manner can be reduced, and the rate of ionization of the germanium atoms near the tip 300 can be reduced due to the lower field strength near the tip 300. In some embodiments, the average radius of curvature of the tip 300 is 200 nm or less (eg, 180 nm or less, 170 nm or less, 160 nm or less, 150 nm or less, 140 nm or less, 130 nm or less). And/or the average radius of curvature of the tip 300 is 40 nm or more (eg, 50 nm or more, 60 nm or more, 70 nm or more, 80 nm or more, 90 nm or more, 100 nm or more, 110 nm or Bigger). For example, in some embodiments, the tip 300 has an average radius of curvature from 40 nm to 200 nm (eg, from 50 nm to 190 nm, from 60 nm to 180 nm, from 70 nm to 170 nm, from 80 nm to 160 nm). In some embodiments, the standard deviation of the eight radii of curvature measurements is 40% or less of the average radius of curvature (eg, 30% or less, 20% or less, 10% or less).

Figure 10 is a diagram of a terminal atomic frame having a system-trimer A flow chart of the W (111) tip program 400. In a first step 402, a single crystal W (111) precursor circuit is attached to the support assembly. In general, the W (111) precursor line has 3 mm or less (eg, 2 mm or less, 1 mm or less), and/or 0.2 mm or more (eg, 0.3 mm or more, 0.5 mm or more). diameter of. In some embodiments, the W (111) precursor circuit has a diameter from 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm (eg, from 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm, 0.25 mm). Suitable precursor lines are available, for example, from FEI Beam Technology (Hillsboro, Oregon).

More generally, in some embodiments, the tip precursor can take the form of a different line. For example, the tip precursor can be formed from a conductive material having a protruding portion that terminates in the crystalline structure. The end point of the protruding portion may be, for example, a single crystal structure, and may be formed using W(111), or formed using another material in a similar or different crystal orientation.

11A and 11B show perspective and bottom views, respectively, of one embodiment of a support assembly 520. The support assembly 520 includes support posts 522a and 522b that are coupled to the support base 524. Columns 522a and 522b are coupled to heater lines 526a and 526b and the length of W (111) precursor line 528 is coupled to heater lines 526a and 526b (e.g., via soldering). Columns 522a and 522b can be coupled to an auxiliary device (e.g., a current source (e.g., power supply)) to allow control of the temperature of W(111) precursor line 528.

The susceptor 524 provides mechanical support for the device member 520 and is typically formed from one or more materials that can withstand temperature cycling and can function as an electrical insulator. For example, in some embodiments, the pedestal 524 is formed from an electrically insulating material such as glass and/or rigid polymer and/or ceramic.

Columns 522a and 522b are typically formed from one or more electrically conductive materials. In general, the materials used to form the posts 522a and 522b are selected such that the posts 522a and 522b have similar thermal expansion coefficients as the pedestal 524, and so that the posts 522a and 522b remain relative to the pedestal 524 during temperature cycling of the precursor circuit 528. Fixed in place. In some embodiments, columns 522a and 522b are formed from an alloy comprising iron, nickel, and cobalt. One example of the column lines may be formed in commercially available materials 522a and 522b using the KOVAR ^TM.

In general, heater lines 526a and 526b are formed using one or more materials having a higher resistivity than precursor line 528. For example, in some embodiments, heater lines 526a and 526b can be formed from a material such as a tungsten-rhenium alloy. As described below, heater lines 526a and 526b generate heat as current (e.g., from an external power supply) passes through the lines, and may be used to add and/or control precursor line 528 during each tip processing step. The temperature. In general, the diameters and materials of the heater lines 526a and 526b are selected to ensure proper control of the temperature of the precursor line 528 during the manufacturing process. In some embodiments, heater lines 526a and 526b have a diameter of, for example, from 100 μm to 750 μm.

The geometry of the pedestal 524, posts 522a and 522b and heater lines 526a and 526b can generally be selected as desired. For example, in some embodiments, the distance between posts 522a and 522b can range from 1 mm to 10 mm.

Optionally, more than two columns (eg, three columns, four columns, five columns, six columns) may be attached to the pedestal 524, with each column and precursor line 528 being passed through a corresponding heater line. connection. Providing additional columns can increase the stability of the assembly 520 and/or reduce the mechanical vibration of the assembly 520 The susceptibility to movement.

In some embodiments, the precursor line 528 can be held in place by applying a compressive force to the support assembly of the line. For example, FIG. 12 shows an exemplary support assembly 550 that includes a Vogel base plate for fastening the pilot line 528. For example, a suitable Vogel floor is commercially available from AP Tech (McMinville, Oregon). The support assembly 550 includes a support base 556 and a mounting arm 552 attached to the base 556. To tighten the precursor line 528, the mounting arm 552 is cleaved and a spacer (eg, formed of pyrolytic carbon) 554 is inserted into the space between the mounting arms. The pilot line 528 is then inserted into the opening between the spacers 554 and the mounting arm 552 is then released. Due to the resiliency of the arms 552, the arms apply a compressive force to the spacers 554 and the precursor lines 528 in the directions indicated by arrows 558 and 560, thereby tightening the precursor lines 528 against the spacers 554. The static friction between line 528, spacer 554 and arm 552 prevents relative movement of such components, thereby ensuring that line 528 remains fixed in position in support assembly 550. In general, line 528 extends over arm 552 for a distance of, for example, 1 mm and 5 mm.

The pedestal 556 can be formed from a material similar to the materials that can be used to form the susceptor 524, such as glass and/or rigid polymers and/or ceramics. The material of the pedestal 556 is typically an electrically insulating material that can withstand temperature cycling.

Mounting arm 552 can be formed from one or more electrically conductive materials. The material used to form arm 552 can be selected such that base 556 and arm 552 have similar expansion coefficients, and so that arm 552 remains fixed in position relative to base 556 during temperature cycling of pilot line 528. In some embodiments, the arms 552 are formed from an alloy comprising iron, nickel, and cobalt. Commercially available materials suitable for forming the arm 552 comprises KOVAR ^TM.

Spacer 554 is formed from a material such as pyrolytic carbon. Suitable pyrolytic carbon spacers are commercially available, for example, from AP Tech Corporation (McMinville, Oregon). The pyrolytic carbon spacers are typically formed using a series of flat carbon sheets stacked on each other to create a sheet-like structure. In general, the resistivity of pyrolytic carbon varies depending on the direction, wherein the resistivity of carbon in a direction perpendicular to each sheet (for example, in a direction approximately perpendicular to the plane of the stacked sheet) is higher than parallel to The resistivity of the direction in one of the planes of each of the planes of the sheets. During installation, the spacers 554 are oriented such that the higher resistivity direction of the spacers 554 is approximately parallel to the direction of the compressive force applied by the arms 552 (eg, approximately parallel to arrows 558 and 560). When current is introduced into the arm 552, the spacer 554 generates heat due to its high electrical resistivity. Thus, the spacer 554 can be used as a heating element for adjusting the temperature of the precursor line 528.

Referring again to FIG. 10, in a second step 404, a precursor line 528 is etched in the electrochemical bath to shape the tip of line 528. In general, step 404 includes a plurality of sub-steps.

The first sub-step in the etching process can be a cleaning step as needed to remove surface contaminants from line 528. This etching process can include placing line 528 in an electrochemical etching solution and exposing line 528 to an alternating current (AC) voltage. For example, the solution may be a 1N solution of sodium hydroxide (NaOH), and an alternating voltage of 1 V may be used. The entire support assembly (eg, support assembly 520 or 550) can then be cleaned (eg, ultrasonically cleaned in water) to remove some of the remaining contaminants.

The next sub-step in step 404 is to apply the photoresist as needed. It is expected to be part of line 528. Generally, a photoresist material is applied over a length of 0.5 mm from the apex of line 528 to the line 528. For example, application of the photoresist material can be achieved by placing a drop of photoresist solution on a clean surface and immersing the trace 528 into the photoresist several times so that the photoresist can be dried slightly between applications. The applied photoresist can limit the number of precursor lines 528 that are etched during subsequent processing steps. Because the previous tip is typically removed by etching after the subsequent tip is formed on the precursor line 528, a greater number of tips can be formed on a given precursor line using the photoresist material and then the line is discarded. A variety of different photoresist materials can be applied to the precursor line 528. An exemplary photoresist material is a cosmetic nail polish. In some embodiments, a variety of photoresist materials can be used. The use of a photoresist material is optional for the tip forming process, however in some embodiments, the photoresist material can be applied to the precursor line 528 after the manufacturing process has undergone subsequent steps.

The next sub-step in step 404 is to electrochemically etch the precursor line 528. Various electrochemical etching procedures can be used. In some embodiments, the following electrochemical etching procedures are used. The support assembly is placed in an etch fixture that includes a transfer device for transferring the support assembly, a disk, and an electrode (eg, a stainless steel electrode) extending into the disk. An etching solution is placed in the disk so that the solution is in contact with the electrode. The assembly is supported by the transfer device toward the disc until the photoresist interface on line 528 is just in contact with the etching solution. The line 528 is then dropped to an additional amount (e.g., 0.2 mm) into the etching solution.

The etch solution contains a component of chemical etch line 528 (eg, NaOH). In a specific embodiment where the etching solution comprises NaOH, the concentration of NaOH in the etching solution can be selected to change the corrosion rate of the precursor line 528 and dissolve. The chemical environment of the liquid. For example, in certain embodiments, the concentration of NaOH can be 0.1 M or greater (eg, 0.2 M or greater, 0.5 M or greater, 0.6 M or greater, 0.8 M or greater, 1.0 M or greater). Large, 1.2M or greater, 1.4M or greater, 1.6M or greater, 2.0M or greater, 2.5M or greater, 3.0M or greater), and/or 10.0M or smaller (eg 9.0 M or less, 8.0 M or less, 7.0 M or less, 6.5 M or less, 6.0 M or less, 5.5 M or less, 5.0 M or less, 4.5 M or less, 4.0 M or smaller). In certain embodiments, the concentration of NaOH can range from 0.5 M to 10.0 M (eg, from 1.0 M to 9.0 M, from 1.5 M to 8.0 M, from 2.0 M to 7.0 M, from 2.0 M to 6.0 M, from 2.0M to 3.0M).

In some embodiments, other etchants may be added to the etching solution in place of or in addition to NaOH. Examples of such etchants include KOH (containing molten KOH), HCl, H ₃ PO ₄ , H ₂ SO ₄ , KCN, and/or molten NaNO ₃ . The etchant in the etching solution can be selected based on its ability to corrode the precursor circuit formed by a particular type of material. For example, an etchant such as NaOH can be used to etch a line formed using W. For circuits formed from different materials (eg, Ir), other etchants can be used in the etching solution.

In some embodiments, the etching solution can comprise a relatively small amount of surfactant. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the salty surfactant can assist in facilitating the symmetric etching of the precursor line 528. Suitable surfactants for this purpose include materials commercially available from Eastman Kodak Company (Rochester, NY), such as PhotoFlo 200. In general, the concentration of the surfactant in the etching solution is 0.1% by volume or more (for example, 0.2% by volume or more, 0.3% by volume or more, 0.4% by volume or more), and/or 2% by volume. Or smaller (eg 1 body) Product% or less, 0.8% by volume or less, 0.6% by volume or less).

In some embodiments, the etching process can also be performed as the etching solution is agitated. The rate at which the etching solution is agitated can be determined empirically based on the results of the etching process.

After the precursor line 528 is secured in the etching solution, an external power supply is coupled to the line 528 and the electrodes, and an electrical potential is applied across the line 528 and the electrodes to facilitate electrochemical corrosion of the line 528. In general, the voltage can be applied from an AC source or a direct current (DC) source. The magnitude of the applied voltage can generally be selected as desired based on empirically determining the voltage amplitude of the precursor circuit 528 that produces a uniform etch. For example, in some embodiments, the magnitude of the applied potential is 3.0 V or greater (eg, 3.2 V or greater, 3.5 V or greater, 4.0 V or greater, 5.0 V or greater, 10 V or greater). Large, 15V or greater, 20V or greater), and/or 50V or less (eg, 40V or less, 35V or less, 30V or less, 25V or less). In some embodiments, the magnitude of the applied potential is between 3.0V and 50V (eg, from 3.5V to 40V, from 4.0V to 30V, from 4.5V to 20V).

The duration of the alternating pulse applied to the etching solution can generally be varied as needed to facilitate controlled etching of line 528. For example, in some embodiments, the pulse applied to the etching solution has 10 ms or longer (eg, 25 ms or longer, 50 ms or longer, 75 ms or longer, 100 ms or longer, 150 ms or longer, 200 ms or Longer, 250ms or longer), and/or a duration of one second or less (eg, 900ms or less, 800ms or less, 700ms or less, 650ms or less, 600ms or less). In some embodiments, the pulse applied to the etching solution has from 10 ms to one second (eg, from 10 ms to 900) Duration of ms, from 10ms to 800ms, from 10ms to 700ms, from 10ms to 600ms).

In general, a pulse of varying duration and/or amplitude can be applied to the etching solution to cause corrosion of the precursor line 528 in the region of the line contacting the solution. Generally, during processing, a portion of the end of the precursor line 528 falls into the etching solution, and the newly exposed etched region of the precursor line 528 is further processed in a subsequent step. For example, a suitable etch range includes nearly 100 AC pulses of an initial applied amplitude of 5V, each pulse having a duration of approximately 580 ms. Then, a series of nearly 60 pulses were applied, each pulse having a duration of approximately 325 ms and an amplitude of 5V. Next, a pulse having a duration of 35 ms and an amplitude of 5 V is applied until a portion of the end of line 528 falls into the etching solution.

The immersion depth of the precursor line 528 can be adjusted during the application of an electrical pulse to the etching solution. In general, the etching process results in the formation of a narrow diameter region of the precursor line 528. Adjusting the immersion depth of line 528 can help ensure that the meniscus of the etching solution is held near the midpoint of one of the narrow diameter regions, which can enhance the likelihood of forming a relatively symmetrical tip. As the drop point approaches (e.g., as the diameter in the narrow diameter region becomes small), the immersion depth adjustment is performed to ensure that the end of the precursor line 528 does not rapidly break. After falling off the end of the precursor line 528, the newly exposed tip of line 528 is immersed very slightly in the etching solution and an additional electrical pulse is applied. In some embodiments, two electrical pulses are applied. For example, the first pulse can be from 1V to 10V (eg, from 3V to 7V, 5V) with a duration from 20ms to 50ms (eg, from 30ms to 40ms, 35ms), and the second pulse can be tied 1V to 10 V (eg, from 3V to 7V, 5V), the pulse has a duration from 10ms to 25ms (eg, from 15ms to 20ms, 17ms).

The support assembly is then removed from the etch fixture, rinsed (eg, with distilled or deionized water) and dried (eg, under conditions of a dry nitrogen stream).

A step 406 of the procedure 400 checks the support assembly (and in particular, the etched tip of line 528) to confirm that the etched tip has the appropriate geometric features. As explained previously, the determination of, for example, geometric features involves obtaining a contour image of the etched tip and calculating geometric parameters from the data obtained from the contour image. For example, the inspection can be performed using an SEM. A sharp image of the tip of line 528 can be obtained with a very high magnification (e.g., a magnification of 65,000X). The measured geometric parameters may include, for example, an average tip radius of curvature, an average cone angle, and an average full cone angle. In this case, if the shape of the etched tip is unsuitable, the tip can be slightly reshaped by inserting the fitting back into the etch fixture and toward the etched tip of the disc landing line 528 until the tip just contacts the etching solution. A few electrical pulses (e.g., from a duration of 35 ms and an amplitude of 5 V to three pulses) can be used to reform the tip of line 528. For example, if the average full cone angle of the tip of line 528 is too small, a few shorter duration pulses can be used to increase the average full cone angle without substantially increasing the average radius of the etch tip. After applying these additional electrical pulses, the tip can then be re-examined in the SEM to confirm that the tip has been properly reshaped.

Subsequently, in step 408, a termination frame that etches the apex of the tip of the line 528 is formed in the trimer. This procedure typically involves imaging the tip (eg, using FIM or SFIM) and shaping the tip (eg, using field evaporation).

In some embodiments, step 408 includes installing the support assembly in the FIM and evacuating the FIM. The tip of the line 528 is cooled (e.g., to the liquid nitrogen temperature) and the helium gas is supplied to the FIM (e.g., at a pressure of approximately 5 x 10 ^-6 Torr). A positive potential for the skimmer (e.g., 5 kV or higher relative to the skimmer) is applied to the tip of line 528, and the germanium atoms interact with the apex of the tip of line 528 to form helium ions. The erbium ion is accelerated to a positively charged apex away from the tip of line 528. A detector (e.g., a phosphor screen optically coupled to a two-dimensional imaging device (e.g., a CCD camera)) is attached at a selected distance from the ion source and oriented approximately perpendicular to the main ion beam trajectory from the ion source. Impact ions can cause the phosphor screen to emit photons, which are detected by a CCD camera. The area of the image corresponding to a relatively large number of detected ions will appear brighter than the area corresponding to a relatively small number of detected ions. Ionization of the helium gas atoms occurs near individual ion sources at the apex of the tip of line 528. Therefore, the image captured by the detector corresponds to the emission pattern of the ion source. More specifically, the bright spots in the image obtained from the detector correspond to individual atoms at the apex of the ion source. Thus, the FIM image is an image of the apex of the tip of the line 528 where the atom is resolved. Based on the FIM image, the crystal structure, positioning, and specific configuration of the atoms at the apex of the ion source can be determined.

If the desired characteristics of the apex of the tip of line 528 do not occur, the tip can be shaped using, for example, field evaporation. During field evaporation, the image of the etched tip of line 528 is focused on the FIM detector and the background pressure of the helium gas still appears in the FIM, increasing the positive potential on the tip (eg, relative to the picker) 15kV or more) until the obtained electric field begins to remove W atoms (and contaminating atoms) from the highest position of the local electric field at the tip. Control removal atom The rate used is to prevent the atomic group from being removed at the same time. In general, field evaporation continues with monitoring the FIM emission pattern until it is confirmed that the surface of the etched tip is in the correct crystal orientation and that there are no undesirable contaminants at the tip of the tip.

After evaporation in the field, it may be necessary to sharpen the tip. To sharpen the tip, the helium gas is ejected from the pump in the FIM reaction chamber and the bias on the tip of line 528 is changed to a negative bias for common ground so that the apex of the tip of line 528 emits electrons. A detector that produces photons in response to incident electrons (eg, a phosphor coated glass screen) is ligated into electrons that are intercepted from the tip. The resulting photons are detected by a suitable detector (such as a CCD device, photomultiplier tube, photodiode or another type of photon detector) and used to monitor electron emission from the tip. In some embodiments, the detector can be directly coupled to the photon generating device. In some embodiments, the detector and photon generating device are not directly coupled. For example, an optical component (eg, a mirror) can be used to direct the generated photons to the detector.

The voltage bias applied to the tip is adjusted until the desired electron current is measured (eg, from 25 pA to 75 pA, from 40 pA to 60 pA, 50 pA). The tip is then heated to the desired temperature (eg, from 1000K to 1700K, from 1300K to 1600K, 1500K) and the tip is visually monitored to detect light emitted from the tip in response to application of voltage and heat. For example, the illumination from the tip can be monitored by using a mirror that is fixed to direct the light emitted by the tip toward a suitable photon detector (eg, a CCD device, photomultiplier tube, photodiode, or another A type of photon detector) reflection. Various devices can be used (such as resistance heating devices (such as filament heaters), radiant heating devices, and inductive heating devices Or electron beam) applies heat to the tip. The applied potential and the heating device are turned off after 15 seconds to 45 seconds (e.g., from 25 seconds to 35 seconds, 30 seconds) after the first appearance of the light from the tip, thereby generating a line 528 having trimerization as its terminal atomic frame. Things.

A gas can be used to sharpen the tip as needed. For example, oxidation can be introduced into the FIM reaction chamber to promote sharpening of the round W tip surface. A sharpening gas (e.g., oxygen) is introduced after the helium has been removed from the FIM reaction chamber, and the tip is heated for a period of time at a selected pressure and in the presence of oxygen. For example, to sharpen the rounded W tip, the crucible is first ejected from the FIM reaction chamber and then heated to a temperature between 1300 K and 1700 K (eg, 1500 K). Maintain the tip at 1500K between one minute and five minutes. Next, oxidation can be introduced into the reaction chamber at a pressure close to 10 ^-5 Torr while maintaining the temperature for approximately two minutes. With oxygen continuing to flow into the reaction chamber, the temperature of the tip is then reduced to between 700K and 1200K (eg, 1000K) and the tip is maintained at that temperature for approximately two minutes. Finally, the oxygen and oxygen supply to the reaction chamber is shut off and the oxygen is discharged from the reaction chamber with a pump until the oxygen pressure therein is less than 10 ^-7 Torr. At the same time, the tip is cooled to its normal operating temperature (e.g., close to 77K in some embodiments) and the helium is reintroduced into the FIM reaction chamber. When the tip is imaged in FIM mode, the W trimer on top of the tip can be viewed, which corresponds to the W (111) facet. The W (111) line with the trimer terminal can then be removed from the FIM and stored for future use.

While the above illustrates a particular embodiment in which FIMs separated from system 200 are used to image/shape the line tip apex, in some embodiments, system 200 can be used as a FIM. In such embodiments, the support assembly is typically mounted in the ion source according to the procedure described in the previous paragraph and will be System 200 operates as FIM. In some embodiments, when operating system 200 in FIM mode, the detector can be fixed at any location where sample 280 is typically fixed (ie, sample 180 does not appear in its normal position). In some embodiments, when operating system 200 in FIM mode, a flat sample having a relatively high secondary electron yield can be fixed at typically fixed sample 180 and the mutual detection of the cesium ion and the flat sample can be detected. Secondary electrons generated by the action, because the intensity of the detected secondary electrons will generally be proportional to the intensity of the erbium ions incident on the flat sample.

As desired, the operating system 200 is in SFIM mode during the process of imaging/forming the line tip apex. In such embodiments, the procedure is as explained in the previous paragraph, except that alignment deflectors 220 and 222 are used to raster scan the ion beam across the surface of aperture 224 to produce field emission at the apex of the line tip. pattern. Portions of the ion beam that pass through the aperture 224 can be focused by the second lens 226 as desired or remain unfocused. In the SFIM mode, an image of the line tip is acquired pixel by pixel, and each measured pixel intensity corresponds to a portion of the ion beam that is allowed to pass through the aperture 224. The pixel intensities together can be used to represent the field emission pattern of the tip as an image or, more generally, as a plurality of electrical signals. The field emission pattern can then be used to assess various characteristics of the tip to determine its suitability for gas field ion microscopy. In SFIM mode, the detector can be positioned and typed as described in the previous paragraph. Optionally, the detector can be a spatially integrated detector such as a photomultiplier tube or a photodiode.

The procedure described above can generally be used to sharpen the W tip for the first time and can also be used to re-sharp a W tip within an ion microscope system. This re Sharpening can be performed in system 200, even if an initial procedure for sharpening the W tip is performed in a FIM other than system 200. Re-sharpening can generally be performed in the same manner as the initial sharpening, or the resharpening technique can be different from the original sharpening technique. In some embodiments, to assess whether resharpening is required, the microscope system 200 can be configured to operate in FIM and/or SFIM mode, as explained above. The resharpening process can be initiated or delayed depending on one or more images of the tip. In some embodiments, other criteria can be used to decide when to initiate resharpening. For example, re-sharpening can be initiated if the measured ion current system from the tip drops below the established threshold after an operational cycle.

As a first step in resharpening, the tip can be field evaporated to remove atoms near the apex of the tip. For example, microscope system 200 can be configured to operate in FIM and/or SFIM mode, as explained above, and the potential applied to the tip can be carefully adjusted to produce controlled field evaporation of the tip atoms. During the field evaporation procedure, the field emission image of the tip can be in a FIM or SFIM mode by a detector (eg, a phosphor coupled photon detector, or a secondary electron configured to measure secondary electron emission from a flat sample) The detector is obtained and monitored to determine when to stop the field evaporation procedure. As noted above, the tip can be re-sharpened when the surface of the tip is in the correct crystal orientation and is clean.

The helium gas is discharged from the microscope system 200 using a pump until the background pressure is less than approximately 10 ^-7 Torr. In some embodiments, to initiate resharpening, a negative potential is applied to the tip to operate the microscope system 200 in an electronic mode, and the tip is sharpened via heating, as previously explained. In some embodiments, a sharpening gas such as oxygen is introduced into the microscope system 200 and the tip is heated for a selected time in the presence of oxygen, as previously explained. After re-sharpening the procedure, the helium gas is reintroduced into the microscope system 200 and the system is configured to operate in FIM and/or SFIM mode, capturing one or more images of the sharpened tip to confirm that the tip apex contains a corresponding W (111) Faceted terpolymer.

In some embodiments, certain resharpening steps can be performed automatically by hardware and/or software in electronic control system 170. For example, in some embodiments, the sharpening procedure applied to the rounded tip can be performed in an automated manner. An example of a sharpening algorithm implemented by electronic control system 170 is as follows. First, control system 170 evacuates microscope system 200 by activating pump 236 and/or 237 and cools the tip to a liquid nitrogen temperature. When the background pressure of the gas in the microscope system 200 is less than the established threshold, the tip is heated by the control system 170 to a temperature of 1500 K by applying a calibration current to the heater line supporting the tip. Two minutes after the 1500K condition, the control system 170 introduces oxygen gas into the microscope system 200 by opening a valve on the source of oxygen gas. The valve opening is adjusted to maintain an oxygen pressure in the microscope system 200 that is close to 10 ^-5 Torr. After a further two minutes, the temperature of the tip is reduced by the control system 170 to 1100 K by adjusting the flow of liquid nitrogen coolant entering the system. Two minutes after the 1100K, control system 170 shuts off the oxygen supply to the system and cools the tip to the liquid nitrogen temperature. In this case, the FIM and/or SFIM image of the tip (measured by the operator) can be used to manually confirm the presence of W(111) at the apex of the tip.

Without wishing to be bound by theory, the salty oxygen can promote the formation of a terpolymer as a terminal atomic framework. In certain embodiments, the pressure of the oxygen gas in the FIM reaction chamber can be 10 ^-7 Torr or greater (eg, 10 ^-6 Torr or greater, 10 ^-5 Torr or greater, 10 ^-4 Torr or greater). Large), and/or 1 Torr or less (e.g., 10 ^-1 Torr or less, 10 ^-2 Torr or less, 10 ^-3 Torr or less). In some embodiments, the pressure of the oxygen gas in the FIM reaction chamber can range from 10 ^-8 Torr to 10 ^-2 Torr (eg, from 10 ^-7 Torr to 10 ^-3 Torr, from 10 ^-6 Torr to 10 ^{- 4} Torr). Other gases and materials can also be used to promote the formation of terpolymers as terminal atomic sites during tip sharpening. For example, a material such as palladium, platinum, gold, and/or rhodium may be vapor deposited on the surface of the rounded tip prior to resharpening. It is believed that these materials can promote more reliable trimer formation at the apex of the tip.

In some embodiments, sharpening of the W tip can be achieved by controlling the heating of the tip without applying an electric field or intentionally adding oxygen. For example, the W tip can be sharpened by: 1) mounting the tip in the FIM reaction chamber; 2) reducing the pressure in the FIM reaction chamber; 3) heating the tip to 1000 K and maintaining the temperature for five minutes; and cooling ( For example to liquid nitrogen temperature). Without wishing to be bound by theory, the number of traces of oxygen present on the tip can help to sharpen the tip using heat. In some embodiments, the unsharpened tip can be exposed to oxygen flow, placed in a substantially oxygen-free environment, and sharpened by controlled heating. It is believed that this method produces W oxide on the surface of the tip, and the oxygen released from the W oxide after heating assists the tip sharpening process.

In some embodiments, one or more additional gases may occur during tip sharpening. For example, in certain embodiments, a nitrogen gas can be present. Without wishing to be bound by theory, the nitrogen gas can assist in etching the tip to provide a trimeric terminal atomic framework for the circular structure that is more stable than the non-circular trimer termination tip. In general, a nitrogen gas is introduced simultaneously with the oxygen gas. In certain embodiments, the pressure of the nitrogen gas in the FIM reaction chamber can be 10 ^-8 Torr or greater (eg, 10 ^-7 Torr or greater), and/or 10 ^-5 Torr or less (eg, 10 ^{- 6} Torr). In some embodiments, the pressure of the nitrogen gas in the FIM reaction chamber can range from 10 ^-5 Torr to 10 ^-8 Torr (eg, from 10 ^-6 Torr to 10 ^-7 Torr).

Optionally, after forming the trimer and to assist in ensuring that the sharpening process is repeatable, the positive potential applied to the sharp tip is increased so that controlled field evaporation of the tip can occur. After the field evaporates the tip for a period of time, the tip apex returns to a circle. In general, the rounded tip produces an emission pattern that is similar to the emission pattern of the tip after the initial field evaporation step. Next, the round tip is sharpened again in the electronic mode to produce a terminal trimer end atomic rack (e.g., using the procedure described above). In some embodiments, to increase the useful life and stability of the sharpened tip, one or more trimers can be removed from the sharpened tip using field vaporization techniques. For example, the topmost atomic layer on the sharpened tip formed by the triatomic frame can be removed to reveal the underlying atomic framework, which contains more than three atoms. The newly exposed atomic frame can be further evaporated by the field to produce a W atom trimer at its apex. This newly formed trimer, along with the additional trimer formed during field evaporation, can be evaporated. This procedure causes the tip to be rounded layer by layer near its apex. By rounding the tip, the electric field gradient near the apex of the tip can be reduced, thereby reducing the likelihood that the tip atoms will experience field evaporation while the microscope system 200 is operating, and increasing the stability and useful life of the tip.

In step 410 of routine 400, the tip is aligned within system 200. The apex of 186 is 187. Where a support assembly is installed in the microscope system 200, one or more vacuum pumps are used to evacuate the microscope system 200, and then heat is applied to the tip 187 to remove, for example, oxides that may have adhered to the tip surface, Condensate, and / or any other impurities. Generally, for example, the tip 186 is heated to a temperature of 900 K or higher (eg, 1000 K or higher, 1100 K or higher) for a duration of 10 s or longer (eg, 30 s or longer, 60 s or longer). Heating can also assist in re-charging the tip 186 if the tip shape is compromised by the presence of impurities.

In the case where the tip 186 is radiantly illuminated by the applied heat, the tip is then roughly aligned with the longitudinal axis of the ion optics 130 by observing light propagating from the tip 186 along the longitudinal axis (eg, by insertion such as reflection The reflective element of the mirror directs a portion of the light to a detector such as a CCD camera). The position and/or positioning of the tip 186 can be altered by adjusting the tip manipulator 208 to direct light from the tip 186 through the ion optics 130.

After this coarse alignment procedure, the microscope system 200 is configured to operate in a FIM or SFIM mode by reducing the background pressure in the vacuum enclosures 202 and 204, cooling the tip 186 (eg, to near liquid nitrogen temperature), And introducing a flow of helium gas atoms into the region near the tip 186 via the gas source 110. An image of the field emission pattern of the erbium ions from the tip 186 is measured by a suitably configured detector, and based on the image, the tip manipulator 208 is used to align the field emission pattern with the longitudinal axis of the ion optics 130, The field emission pattern of the tip 186 is centered on the longitudinal axis. The centering test can be performed by changing the potential applied to the first lens 216 while observing the induced modulation of the field emission pattern of the tip 186. If the size of the field emission pattern observed by the detector The tip 186 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the first lens 216 as the position of the center of the pattern does not change as a function of the potential applied to the lens 216 changes. Conversely, if the center position of the field emission pattern of the tip 186 changes in response to a change in the potential applied to the first lens 216, the tip 186 is not centered on the longitudinal axis of the first lens 216. The positioning and position of the tip 186 can be adjusted repeatedly through the tip manipulator 208 until the tip 186 is sufficiently aligned with the longitudinal axis of the first lens 216. In general, this centering test is performed without having the aperture 224 in place.

A fine alignment procedure can then be performed to ensure that helium ions generated via the interaction of helium gas atoms with the triatomic cleaver at the apex 187 of the tip 186 can pass through the aperture 224. Adjusting the potential applied to deflectors 220 and 222 (see discussion below) to create an ion beam 192 through the aperture via the interaction of the helium gas atom with only one atom of the three trimer atoms at the apex of tip 186 70% or more of 224 cesium ions (eg, 75% or more, 80% or more, 85% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 97% or more, 99%) Or more). At the same time, the adjustment of the potential applied to the deflectors 220 and 222 ensures that the aperture 224 prevents 50% or more of the erbium ions in the ion beam 192 generated by the interaction of the helium gas atoms with the other two trimer atoms ( For example, 60% or more, 70% or more, 80% or more, 90% or more, 95% or more, 98% or more) reaches the surface 181 of the sample 180. Because of this fine alignment procedure, the helium ion beam exiting aperture 224 and exiting ion optics 130 contains helium atoms that are ionized near only one atom of the three trimer atoms at the apex of tip 186.

Referring again to Figure 10, the tip 186 is aligned with the longitudinal axis of the first lens 216 and aligned with the erbium ion beam such that one portion of the ion beam 192 passes through the aperture. In the case of 224, microscope system 200 can be operated in the helium ion mode in step 412 of routine 400. In a particular embodiment in which system 200 is used in FIM mode during tip sharpening, the FIM detector and/or other FIM components are moved so that sample 180 can be immobilized to be exposed to ion beam 192. A positive potential for the skimmer 190 is applied to the tip 186 and the helium gas is introduced into the vacuum enclosure 202 via the gas source 110. The erbium ion-transmitting aperture 224 generated by the interaction of the helium gas atom primarily with one of the three trimer atoms at the apex of the tip 186 is directed by ion optics 130 and directed to sample 180.

In some embodiments, the potential applied to tip 186 is 5 kV or higher (eg, 10 kV or higher, 15 kV or higher, 20 kV or higher). In some embodiments, the potential applied to tip 186 is 35 kV or less (eg, 30 kV or less, 25 kV or less). For example, in some embodiments, the potential applied to tip 186 is from 5 kV to 35 kV (eg, from 10 kV to 30 kV, from 15 kV to 25 kV).

In certain embodiments, during operation of microscope system 200, helium gas pressure is 10 ^-8 Torr or greater (eg, 10 ^-7 Torr or greater, 10 ^-6 Torr or greater, 10 ^-5 Torr or greater). Big). In some embodiments, the helium gas pressure in the microscope system 200 is 10 ^-1 Torr or less (eg, 10 ^-2 Torr or less, 10 ^-3 Torr or less, 10 ^-4 Torr or less). . For example, in some embodiments, the helium gas pressure in the microscope system 200 is from 10 ^-7 Torr to 10 ^-1 Torr (eg, from 10 ^-6 Torr to 10 ^-2 Torr, from 10 ^-5 Torr to 10 ^{- 3} Torr).

To confirm the integrity of the tip 186, the field emission pattern from the tip 186 can be periodically monitored by operating the microscope system 200 in FIM or SFIM mode, as explained above. If the trimer structure remains at the tip apex 187 Complete, the tip 186 can continue to be used to provide the ion beam 192 to the microscope system 200. However, in some cases, FIM or SFIM imaging of the tip 186 may reveal that the trimer structure is no longer intact at the tip apex 187. In this case, the tip 186 may first be field vaporized to round the tip and remove the damaged trimer structure, and then re-sharpened in situ using a procedure as described above (eg, without the need to remove from the microscope system 200) Remove tip 186).

Monitoring of the field emission pattern from the tip 186 can be performed automatically based on criteria such as reduced performance (e.g., reduced ion current), observed imaging aberrations and/or errors, or other predetermined criteria. To capture the FIM image of tip 186, sample 180 can be removed from its position and a detector (eg, a phosphor coupled CCD detector) can be placed at a location prior to sample 180. Alternatively, a flat sample having a relatively high secondary electron yield can be transferred to a suitable location to replace the sample 180, and a suitable detector can be fixed and configured to detect secondary electrons due to strontium ions and the sample The interaction leaves the sample. The aperture 224 can be removed (or the larger diameter opening 225 can be selected) so as not to substantially obstruct the ions generated from the interaction of the helium gas atoms with the tip 186. These operations can be performed in an automated manner.

To capture the SFIM image of the tip 186, a detector can be introduced for FIM imaging as described above, and the aperture 224 can be maintained in position. Alignment deflectors 220 and 222 can be used to traverse the aperture 224 to raster scan the ion emitting pattern of tip 186 to acquire an image of tip 186 in a pixel-by-pixel manner. Acquisition of one or more images of the tip 186 may be automated by an electronic control system 170 that controls the placement of the aperture, the movement of the sample and detector, and the application to the tip 186 and the alignment deflector 220 and 222 Potential.

Referring to Figure 13, the alignment procedure described above generally aligns one of the longitudinal axes 207 of the tip 186 with one of the longitudinal axes 132 of the ion optics 130 such that the distance d between the axes 207 and 132 at the apex 187 of the tip 186 is less than 2 mm (eg less than 1 mm, less than 500 μm , less than 200 μm ). In some embodiments, the angle between the axes 207 and 132 at the apex 187 of the tip 186 is 2[deg.] or less (eg, 1[deg.] or less, 0.5[deg.] or less, 0.2[deg.] or less).

The skimmer 190 includes an opening 191. In general, the shape of the picker 190 and the shape of the opening 191 can be selected as desired. In general, these features are selected to ensure that the erbium ions are efficiently and reliably directed to the ion optics 130. For example, as shown in FIG. 13, the skimmer 190 has a thickness t _e measured in the z direction, an opening 191 of the width a measured in the x direction, and is fixed to the vertex of the tip 186 measured in the z direction. The distance 187 is e. In some embodiments, t _e is 100 μ m or greater (eg, 500 μm or greater, 1 mm or greater, 2 mm or greater), and/or t _e is 10 mm or less (eg, 7 mm) Or smaller, 5mm or less, 3mm or less). In some embodiments, the distance e between the apex 187 of the tip 186 and the picker 190 is 10 mm or less (eg, 8 mm or less, 6 mm or less, 5 mm or less, 4 mm or less, 3 mm or less, 2 mm or less, 1 mm or less). In some embodiments, the picker 190 is fixed farther than the tip 186 in the +z direction, as shown in FIG. In some embodiments, the skimmer 190 is fixed farther than the tip 186 in the -z direction. For example, in such embodiments, the tip 186 protrudes through the picker 190 and extends in the +z direction along the z-axis to be farther than the picker 190. Although the skimmer 190 is shown as having the particular configuration of Figure 13, in particular, the skimmer 190 can be of any desired design. For example, in some embodiments, the opening 191 can have a curved side of any desired shape.

The skimmer 190 can generally be positively or negatively biased for the tip 186. In some embodiments, for the tip 186, the potential applied to the skimmer 190 is -10 kV or higher (eg, -5 kV or higher, 0 kV or higher), and/or 20 kV or lower (eg, 15 kV). Or lower, 10kV or lower).

Suppressor 188 can also be present near tip 186 as desired. The suppressor 188 can be used, for example, to change the electric field distribution near the tip 186 by adjusting the potential applied to the suppressor 188. Suppressor 188 can be used with picker 190 to control the orbit that produces helium ions at tip 186. The suppressor 188 has an opening of the width k measured in the x direction, a thickness t _s measured in the z direction, and is fixed at a distance s from the apex of the tip 186 measured in the z direction. In certain embodiments, k is 3 [mu]m or greater (eg, 4 [mu]m or greater, 5 [mu]m or greater) and/or 8 [mu]m or smaller (eg, 7 [mu]m or less, 6 [mu]m or less). In certain embodiments, t _s is 500 μm or greater (eg, 1 mm or greater, 2 mm or greater), and/or 15 mm or less (eg, 10 mm or less, 8 mm or less, 6 mm or more). Small, 5mm or smaller, 4mm or smaller). In certain embodiments, the s is 5 mm or less (eg, 4 mm or less, 3 mm or less, 2 mm or less, 1 mm or less). In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the suppressor 188 is fixed farther than the tip 186 in the +z direction. In some embodiments, the tip 186 is fixed farther than the suppressor 188 in the +z direction such that the tip 186 passes through the suppressor 188 in the +z direction.

In general, the microscope system 200 can be configured such that after passing through the skimmer 190, the energy of the ions in the ion beam 192 can be selected as desired. Generally, after passing through the inlet opening 133 to the ion optics 130, the average energy of the ions in the ion beam 192 is 5 keV or higher (eg, 10 keV or higher, 20 keV or higher, 30 keV or higher) and / Or 100 keV or lower (for example, 90 keV or lower, 80 keV or lower, 60 keV or lower, 50 kV or lower, 40 kV or lower, 30 kV or lower). For example, in some embodiments, the energy of ions in ion beam 192 after passing through inlet opening 133 is from 5 keV to 100 keV (eg, from 10 keV to 90 keV, from 20 keV to 80 keV). For example, in embodiments where it is desirable to detect ions transmitted through the same, higher ion energies (e.g., from 50 keV to 100 keV) may be used.

Further, in some embodiments, the energy of ions in ion beam 192 can be varied without changing the ion current. That is, the potential applied to the tip 186 can be adjusted to modify the average energy of the ion beam 192 without substantially changing the ion beam current from the ion beam 192.

C. Ion optics

Referring to FIG. 14, ion beam 192 enters ion optics 130 from gas field ion source 120 via inlet opening 133. The ion beam 192 first passes through the first lens 216. The position and potential of the first lens 216 are typically selected to focus the ion beam 192 at the intersection C, where the point C is the distance p measured from the aperture 224 in the z-direction. In general, the first lens 216 is fixed at a distance f from the inlet opening 133 measured in the z-direction. In some embodiments, the distance f is 5 mm or greater (eg, 10 mm or greater, 15 mm or greater), and/or 30 mm or less (eg, 25 mm or less, 20 mm or less).

In general, the first permeable body 216 can be positively or negatively biased for the tip 186. In some embodiments, applied to the tip 186 The potential of a lens 216 is -30 kV or higher (for example, -20 kV or higher, -10 kV or higher), and/or 40 kV or lower (for example, 30 kV or lower, 20 kV or lower, 15 kV or lower, 10kV or lower).

In general, the distance p is 1 mm or more (for example, 5 mm or more, 10 mm or more), and/or 100 mm or less (for example, 70 mm or less, 50 mm or less, 30 mm or less, 20 mm or smaller). Changing the position of point C can change the size of ion beam 192 in the x- and/or y-direction at the location of aperture 224, which can selectively control a small portion of the ion beam 192 that passes through aperture 224. Although shown in FIG. 14 as being fixed farther than the aperture 224 in the -z direction, the intersection C may be fixed in some embodiments to be farther than the aperture 224 in the +z direction.

The alignment deflectors 220 and 222 are configured to direct a portion of the ion beam 192 through the aperture 224 and the second lens 226. Various designs and/or components can be used to construct the deflector. For example, in some embodiments, deflectors 220 and 222 can each be a quadrupole electrode with two quadrupole electrodes disposed in series.

The deflectors 220 and 222 can deflect the helium ion beam 192 in the x- and y- directions, respectively. The electrode potentials applied to deflectors 220 and 222 can be adjusted to ensure that one portion of ion beam 192 passes through aperture 224 and second lens 226. In some embodiments, the potential applied to deflectors 220 and 222 is adjusted to achieve a particular alignment condition, and then the isoelectricity is maintained while the microscope system 200 is operating while remaining static. The alignment of the ion beam 192 through the aperture 224 is assessed by observing the ion beam 192 using a suitable detector configured to image the aperture 224, for example. The deflectors 220 and/or 222 can also be adjusted to align a portion of the ion beam 192 that passes through the aperture 224 with a longitudinal axis of the second lens 226. To estimate through the second lens The alignment of ion beam 192 of 226 can vary the potential applied to second lens 226 (collectively referred to as wobble) and can be viewed on an imaging detector. If the image of the ion beam 192 changes in size due to the varying potential applied to the second lens 226 but does not change in position, the ion beam 192 is aligned through the second lens 226. If the position of the center of the ion beam 192 changes due to the changing potential, the ion beam 192 is not aligned with the second lens 226. In this case, the potential applied to the deflectors 222 and/or 220 can be further adjusted and the wobble test repeated in a repeated manner until the alignment is reached.

In general, the potential applied to each of the electrode elements of alignment deflectors 220 and 222 can be selected as desired to produce a deflection of ion beam 192 relative to aperture 224 and second lens 226 to a particular location. Each of the electrodes in deflectors 220 and 222 can be positively or negatively biased for a common external ground. In general, the potential applied to either electrode can be 100V or lower (eg, 75V or lower, 50V or lower) and/or 10V or higher (eg, 25V or higher, 40V or higher relative to the common external ground). higher). For example, during operation, the potential applied to any of the deflectors 220 and 222 may be from 10V to 100V (eg, from 10V to 75V, from 10V to 50V) relative to the common external ground.

The aperture 224 is fixed relative to the ion beam 192 such that a small portion of the ions in the ion beam 192 can pass therethrough. Generally, aperture 224 does not have an applied potential. In some embodiments, the width w of the opening 225 in the aperture 224 measured in the x-direction is greater than 1 [mu]m (eg, 2 [mu]m or greater, 5 [mu]m or greater, 10 [mu]m or greater, 15 [mu]m or greater, 20 [mu]m. Or larger, 25 μm or larger, 30 μm or larger, and/or 100 μm or smaller (for example, 90 μm or smaller, 80 μm or smaller, 70 μm or smaller, 60 μm or smaller, 50 μm or smaller). For example, in some embodiments, w is from 1 μm to 100 μm (eg, from 5 μm to 90 μm, from 15 μm to 50 μm, from 20 μm to 50 μm). In some embodiments, the width of the opening 225 in the aperture 224 measured in the y-direction is greater than 1 [mu]m (eg, 2 [mu]m or greater, 5 [mu]m or greater, 10 [mu]m or greater, 15 [mu]m or greater, 20 [mu]m or Larger, 25 μm or larger, 30 μm or larger, and/or 100 μm or smaller (for example, 90 μm or smaller, 80 μm or smaller, 70 μm or smaller, 60 μm or smaller, 50 μm or smaller). For example, in some embodiments, w is from 1 μm to 100 μm (eg, from 5 μm to 90 μm, from 15 μm to 50 μm, from 20 μm to 50 μm).

The aperture 224 is secured to the aperture bottom plate 234. The aperture bottom plate 234 allows the aperture 224 to be diverted in the x-y plane in accordance with control signals received from the electronic control system 170. In some embodiments, the aperture bottom plate 234 can also allow the aperture 224 to be diverted along the longitudinal axis 132 of the ion optics 130 in the z-direction. Moreover, in some embodiments, the aperture bottom plate 234 can allow the aperture 224 to be tilted for the x-y plane. The inclined slanted aperture 224 can be used to align the longitudinal axis of the aperture 224 with the longitudinal axis 132 of the ion optics 130.

In some embodiments, aperture 224 can include a plurality of openings having different widths w. For example, Figure 15 is a top plan view (in the z-direction) of a disk-shaped aperture 224a including a plurality of openings 225a through 225g. The aperture 224a is configured to rotate about a pivot point 227 that coincides with the center of the aperture 224a. The center of each of the openings 225a to 225g is fixed at the same distance from the pivot point 227. A particular size aperture opening can therefore be selected by rotating the aperture disk 224a to secure the selected opening in the path of the ion beam 192 and then transferring the aperture disk 224a as needed to ensure the opening and ion beam Correct alignment of 192.

Figure 16 is a top plan view (in the z-direction) of a rod-shaped aperture 224b that includes a plurality of openings 229a through 229e through aperture 224b. The aperture size can be selected by selecting an opening in aperture 224b. This selection is performed by transferring the aperture 224b in a direction parallel to the arrow 221 to align one of the openings 229a to 229e with the ion beam 192.

Generally, the openings 225a to 225g and 229a to 229e have diameters that can be selected as desired. For example, in some embodiments, the diameter of any of the openings may be 5 μm or larger (eg, 10 μm or greater, 25 μm or greater, 50 μm or greater) and/or 200 μm or smaller (eg, 150 μm or less, 100 μm or less). In some embodiments, the diameters of the openings 225a to 225g and/or 229a to 229e may range from 5 μm to 200 μm (eg, 5 μm to 150 μm, 5 μm to 100 μm).

In some embodiments, devices other than apertures can be used to pass only a portion of the ions in ion beam 192 through ion optics 130 and impinge on the surface of sample 180. For example, two vertical slits can be secured in series along the flight path of the ion beam.

The astigmatism corrector 218 is typically configured to reduce or eliminate astigmatism in the ion beam 192 via its shape, the location along the path of the ion beam 192, and the applied potential. While various components may be used to construct astigmatism corrector 218, astigmatism corrector 218 is typically an octopole electrode that is secured between aperture 224 and scan deflectors 219 and 221. Generally, the eight electrodes of the octal astigmatism corrector are divided into two groups of four electrodes having a first controller configured to adjust the voltage of the four electrodes (eg, positively biased for tip 186) a first group of four electrodes), and a second controller that adjusts the voltage of the other four electrodes (eg, for a tip Terminal 186 obtains a second group of four electrodes that are negatively biased). The electrodes from the first and second electrode groups are arranged in an alternating manner to form a segment of eight poles, wherein the adjacent segments have opposite bias voltages. This electrode configuration forms a pointed field that focuses the ion beam propagating along the longitudinal axis of the eight poles and defocuss the off-axis ion beam.

In general, each of the octal electrodes can be configured independently, and the astigmatism corrector 218 thus allows for sensitive control of the ion beam 192. In some embodiments, the potential applied to the common external ground of any of the electrodes of astigmatism corrector 218 can be -30V or higher (eg, -20V or higher, -10V or higher, -5V or higher), and/or 30V or lower (for example, 20V or lower, 10V or lower, 5V or lower).

In addition to alignment deflectors 220 and 222, ion optics 130 includes scanning deflectors 219 and 221. Scanning deflectors 219 and 221 are typically secured between astigmatism corrector 218 and second lens 226, although other configurations of scanning deflectors 219 and 221 within ion optics 130 are generally possible.

Scanning deflectors 219 and 221 are configured to scan ion beam 192 across the surface of sample 180. For example, deflector 219 can be configured to deflect ion beam 192 in the x-direction, and deflector 221 can be configured to deflect ion beam 192 in the y-direction. The ion beam 192 can be fixed at a particular location on the sample 180 by a combined deflection produced by the deflectors 219 and 221.

Generally, the potential applied to deflectors 219 and 221 is adjusted to produce a particular deflection of ion beam 192. The applied potential can be symmetrically varied to raster scan the ion beam 192 on a portion of the sample 180. For example, in some embodiments, the potential applied to deflector 221 is increased in a stepwise manner at regular intervals to deflect across sample 180 in discrete steps (e.g., column by column) in the y-direction. Ion beam 192. At the same time, the potential applied to the deflector 219 is increased in a stepwise manner to deflect the ion beam 192 across the sample 180 in discrete steps (e.g., row by row) in the x direction. The rate at which the potential applied to the deflector 221 can be increased can be selected such that once the ion beam 192 has been stepped across all of the rows by the step applied to the deflector 219, a full scan is performed across the rows, then in the y-direction The ion beam 192 is deflected to a new column. For each column, the same step pattern of incremental potential increase can be applied to deflector 219 to sweep ion beam 192 in discrete steps in the x direction.

In general, scanning deflectors 219 and/or 221 can be formed using a plurality of electrodes. For example, in some embodiments, scan deflectors 219 and/or 221 can each include a pair of parallel plate electrodes. The electrodes in deflector 219 can be oriented to deflect ion beam 192 in a direction perpendicular to the deflection of ion beam 192 generated by deflector 221.

In some embodiments, scan deflectors 219 and/or 221 can be of a more complex design. For example, scan deflector 219 and/or 221 can include a quadrupole electrode and/or an octal electrode. The electrodes may each be configured to provide deflection of the ion beam 192 in a single direction in the x-y plane or in multiple directions in the x-y plane.

Each of the electrode elements in scan deflectors 219 and 221 can be positively or negatively biased for a common external ground. In general, the voltage applied to each electrode can be -150 V or greater (eg, -100 V or greater, -50 V or greater, -20 V or greater) and/or 150 V or less (eg, 100 V or less). , 50V or less, 20V or less). For example, during operation, the voltage applied to each of the deflectors 219 and 221 can range from -150V to 150V (eg, from -100V to 100V, from -50V to 50V, from -20V to 20V).

In general, the position and potential of the second lens 226 are selected such that the second lens 226 assists in focusing the ion beam 192 onto the surface 181 of the sample 180. The potential applied to the second lens 226 can generally be positive or negative for a common external ground. In some embodiments, the potential applied to the second lens 226 is -50 kV or higher (eg, -40 kV or higher, -30 kV or higher), and/or 40 kV or lower relative to the common external ground. (eg 30kV or lower, 20kV or lower). The second lens 226 is spaced from the aperture 224 by a distance u measured in the z-direction. In certain embodiments, u is 5 cm or greater (eg, 10 cm or greater, 15 cm or greater), and/or 50 cm or less (eg, 45 cm or less, 40 cm or less, 35 cm or less). 30 cm or less, 25 cm or less, 20 cm or less).

The second lens 226 is spaced from the sample 180 by a distance h (collectively referred to as a working distance) measured along the z-axis. In certain embodiments, h can be 2 mm or greater (eg, 5 mm or greater, 10 mm or greater, 15 mm or greater, 20 mm or greater) and/or 200 mm or smaller (eg, 175 mm or less). 150 mm or less, 125 mm or less, 100 mm or less, 75 mm or less, 65 mm or less, 55 mm or less, 45 mm or less). In certain embodiments, h is from 2 mm to 200 mm (eg, from 5 mm to 175 mm, from 10 mm to 150 mm, from 15 mm to 125 mm, from 20 mm to 100 mm). In general, h can be adjusted by varying the potential applied to the second lens 226 to adjust the focal plane of the lens 226 and transferring the sample 180 (via the sample manipulator 140) to the new focal plane of the lens 226. A number of advantages are provided by the relatively large distance h allowed by the microscope system 200. For example, a microscope system can be used to investigate uneven samples having surface protrusions. In addition, the sample can be tilted to A large angle for the main axis of the ion beam 192. For example, in some embodiments, the angle between the normal to surface 181 of sample 180 and the major axis of ion beam 192 is 5° or greater (eg, 10° or greater, 20° or greater, 30° or more, 40° or more, 50° or more, 60° or more) and/or 85° or less (for example, 80° or less, 75° or less, 70° or more) Small, 65° or smaller). In some embodiments, the angle between the normal to surface 181 of sample 180 and the major axis of ion beam 192 is from 5° to 85° (eg, from 10° to 80°, from 20° to 70°, From 30° to 70°, from 40° to 60°). In addition, the relatively large distance h also allows various detectors and other devices to be fixed close to the incident region of the ion beam 192 on the surface 181 and to allow detection of particles leaving the sample over a relatively large range of solid angles. . In general, this allows for the detection of stronger signals and the detection of many different types of signals (eg using different types of detectors).

In some embodiments, the second lens 226 is shaped as a right angle cone having 10° or greater (eg, 15° or greater, 20° or greater, 25° or greater) and/or 50 Cone half angle of ° or less (eg 45° or less, 40° or less, 35° or less). In some embodiments, the second lens 226 has a cone half angle of from 10° to 50° (eg, from 15° to 45°, from 20° to 40°). The relatively small cone half angle of the lens 226 provides several advantages, including a larger range of tilt angles of the sample 180 for the ion beam 192, and a larger volume of free space near the incident beam spot on the surface 181, which can be fixed Testers and other devices.

As explained above, in general, the erbium ions generated substantially only via the interaction of the erbium atom with one of the trimer atoms at the apex 187 of the tip 186 pass through the aperture 224. In some embodiments, however, components in ion optics 130 (eg, first lens 216 and/or alignment deflector) can be set 220, 222 and/or aperture 224) are such that a substantial portion of the erbium ions generated by the interaction of the argon atoms with the two atoms of the trimer atoms pass through the aperture 224. This can be achieved, for example, by appropriately selecting the potential applied to the first lens 216 and/or the deflectors 220, 222, and/or changing the size of the aperture 224 (eg, by selecting as shown in Figures 15 and 16, respectively). Different aperture openings on the aperture wheel or rod shown). In some embodiments, components in ion optics 130 (eg, first lens 216 and/or alignment deflectors 220, 222 and/or aperture 224) can be set to pass through the helium atom with all three trimer atoms. A substantial portion of the erbium ions produced by the interaction pass through the aperture 224. This can be achieved, for example, by appropriately selecting the potential applied to the first lens 216 and/or the deflectors 220, 222, and/or changing the size of the aperture 224 (eg, by selecting as shown in Figures 15 and 16, respectively). Different aperture openings on the aperture wheel or rod shown).

One or more additional electrodes (eg, lenses, deflectors, and/or other components) may be affixed along the path of ion beam 192 in ion optics 130, as desired. For example, additional electrodes may be attached behind the second lens 226 or may be incorporated between existing components. Additional elements may be positive or negative biased for tip 186 to perform functions such as increasing or decreasing the energy of ions in ion beam 192 within ion optics 130 and/or changing the orbit of the ions. For example, one or more accelerating electrodes can be secured adjacent to the sample 180 to change the energy employed by ions in the ion beam 192 to be incident on the sample 180.

By way of further example, ion optics 130 can include a negative bias (relative to a common external ground) row liner to increase the energy of ions in ion beam 192 on surface 181 of sample 180. The tube can be biased to -50 kV or greater relative to a common external ground (eg, -25 kV or greater, -15 kV or greater, -10 kV or greater) Large) and/or -1 kV or less (e.g., -3 kV or less, -5 kV or less). In general, the tube can be positioned anywhere along the axis 132 of the ion optics 130, such as between the aperture 224 and the second lens 226. For example, certain advantages can be achieved by accelerating the ions as they pass through the ion optics 130, reducing the interaction time between the same charged ions, which can help reduce the divergence of the ion beam 192.

In some embodiments, the energy of the ions in the ion beam 192 on the surface 181 of the sample 180 can be increased or decreased by biasing the sample 180 (eg, as needed to reduce ions in the ion beam 192). The energy is positively biased or negatively biased if it is desired to increase the energy of the ions in ion beam 192. In the case of a large angle of incidence of the ion beam 192, a cylindrical asymmetry of the electric field generated by the biased sample 180 can produce a braided effect, wherein the low energy ions in the ion beam 192 are compared to the high energy ions. A greater amount of deflection is obtained in the x- and y-directions, resulting in an increase in the spot size of the ion beam 192 on the surface 181 of the sample 180 and possibly other undesirable effects. Thus, in some embodiments, the sample 180 is biased to change the energy of the ions in the ion beam 192, and the angle between the ion beam 192 and the normal to the surface 181 is less than 6° (eg, less than 5°, less than 4°, less than 3°, less than 1°).

While certain embodiments of ion optics have been described, other embodiments of ion optics may also be used. For example, where an electrode type (eg, eight poles) has been described, one or more different electrode types (eg, quadrupole) can be used to achieve the same effect. More generally, a variety of different ion optics systems can be used in the microscope system 200. For example, in some embodiments, ion optics 130 includes a deflector, aperture, and other ion optics. There is only one single lens outside the piece. In some embodiments, ion optics 130 includes first and second lenses with an aperture therebetween.

By way of further example, in some embodiments, the ion optics includes a first lens, a second lens, an aperture between the first and second lenses, no electrodes, and the ion optics are designed such that the first lens can Reducing the divergence of the ion beam (eg, to align the ion beam substantially with the longitudinal axis of the ion optical system), the aperture can prevent a portion of the ion beam from passing through, and the second lens can help focus the ion beam The relatively small spot size on the surface of the sample. In such embodiments, ions that reach the surface of the sample in the ion beam can be generated primarily by interaction of only one atom of the deuterium atom with the trimer (e.g., as explained above). In some embodiments, an approximately equal number of ions in the ion beam reaching the surface of the sample are generated via the interaction of the helium atom with each of the three trimer atoms.

By way of further example, in some embodiments, the ion optics includes a first lens, a second lens, an aperture between the first and second lenses, no electrodes, and the ion optics are designed such that the first lens can Focusing the ion beam to the center of the opening in the aperture, and the aperture allows the focused ion beam to diverge and pass through, and the second lens can help focus the ion beam into a relatively small spot on the surface of the sample size. In such embodiments, the ion beam reaching the surface of the sample may comprise an approximately equal number of ions produced by the interaction of the gas atoms with each of the three atoms in the trimer. If the apex of the tip 186 contains more than three atoms (eg, five or more atoms, seven or more atoms, nine or more atoms), the ion beam may be contained at the apex of the tip 186 via the gas atom. The close phase produced by the interaction of each atom The same number of ions.

By way of further example, in some embodiments, the ion optics includes a first lens, a second lens, an aperture between the first and second lenses, no electrodes, and the ion optics are designed such that the first lens can Reducing the divergence of the ion beam and directing the low-dispersion ion beam to the aperture, the aperture allows substantially all of the ions in the ion beam to pass through, and the second lens can help focus the ion beam onto the surface of the sample The relatively small spot size. In such embodiments, the ion beam reaching the surface of the sample can comprise an approximately equal number of ions produced via the interaction of the gas atoms with each of the three atoms in the trimer. If the apex of the tip 186 contains more than three atoms (eg, five or more atoms, seven or more atoms, nine or more atoms), the ion beam may be contained at the apex of the tip 186 via the gas atom. The interaction of each of the atoms produces an approximately equal number of ions.

By way of further example, in some embodiments, the ion optics includes a first lens, a second lens, an aperture between the first and second lenses, no electrodes, and the ion optics are designed such that the first lens can Partially focusing the ion beam to the aperture, the aperture preventing a portion of the ions in the ion beam from passing through (but still allowing a relatively large portion of the ions in the ion beam to pass through), and the second lens can help The ion beam is focused to a relatively small spot size on the surface of the sample. In such embodiments, the ion beam reaching the surface of the sample can comprise an approximately equal number of ions produced via the interaction of the gas atoms with each of the three atoms in the trimer. If the apex of the tip 186 contains more than three atoms (eg, five or more atoms, seven or more atoms, nine or more atoms), the ion beam may be contained at the apex of the tip 186 via the gas atom. The interaction of each of the atoms produces an approximately equal number of ions.

D. Tip tilting and transfer mechanism

The tip manipulator 208 is configured to allow the tip 186 in the x-y plane to be transferred and the tip 186 to be tilted for the axis 132 of the ion optics 130. 17 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a microscope system 200 including a tip 186, a support assembly 520, and a tip manipulator. The tip manipulator 208 includes a shaft 502, a dome 504, a side wing 510, and a diverter 514. The diverter 514 is coupled to a shaft 502 that is sized to fit through the opening 516 in the side flap 510. The shaft 502 is further coupled to the base 508, which in turn is coupled to the assembly 520. The side flaps 510 are in a fixed position relative to the dome 504 by static friction between the surfaces 512 and 513, and the deflector 514 is in a fixed position relative to the side flaps 510 by static friction between the surfaces 518 and 519. .

Tip manipulator 208 provides for the transfer of tip 186 in the x-y plane. To transfer the tip 206, a high pressure gas is introduced into the inlet 503. The high pressure gas introduced into the inlet 503 may be a gas such as indoor air. Generally, the gas can be introduced at a pressure of 50 pounds per square inch (psi) or greater (e.g., 75 psi or greater, 100 psi or greater, 125 psi or greater). Due to the introduction of the high pressure gas, a force is applied to the diverter 514 away from the side flaps 510 in the -z direction. The applied force reduces the friction between surfaces 518 and 519 (but does not decrease to zero) and allows the transfer 514 to be re-fixed for the side flaps 510 by applying a lateral force in the plane x-y. When the deflector 514 is re-fixed, the tip 186 is transferred in the plane x-y. When the tip 186 is in its new position, the supply of high pressure gas is turned off and the strong static friction between surfaces 518 and 519 is reestablished by evacuating the interior of tip manipulator 208 using one or more vacuum pumps. Strongly re-established The tip 186 is rigidly held in place by friction.

The tip manipulator 208 also provides a tilted tip 186 for the axis 132 of the ion optics 130. To tilt the tip 186, a high pressure gas is introduced into the inlet 505. The high pressure gas introduced into the inlet 505 may be a gas such as indoor air. Generally, the gas can be introduced at a pressure of 50 pounds per square inch (psi) or greater (e.g., 75 psi or greater, 100 psi or greater, 125 psi or greater). Due to the introduction of the high pressure gas, a force is applied to the side flaps 510 away from the dome 504 in the -z direction. The applied force reduces the friction between surfaces 512 and 513 (but does not decrease to zero). The side flaps 510 can then be reattached to the dome 504 by applying a lateral force in the direction indicated by arrow 506 to transfer the side flaps 510. The transfer of the side flaps 510 corresponds to the relative movement along the curved surface of the dome 504. Because of this movement, the angle between the axes 132 and 207, which corresponds to the angle of inclination of the tip 186, changes. When the adjustment of the inclination of the tip 186 is completed, the supply of high pressure gas is turned off and the strong static friction between the surfaces 512 and 513 is reestablished by evacuating the inside of the tip manipulator 208. The tip 186 is rigidly held in place due to the re-established strong friction.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 17, the tip manipulator 208 is configured such that the center of the radius of curvature R of the dome 504 coincides with the position of the apex of the tip 186. Thus, when the tip 186 is tilted to change the angle between the axes 132 and 207, the transfer of the tip 186 in the x-y plane does not occur. Thus, the tip manipulator 208 can be used to align the orbit of ions generated by interaction of one of the gas atoms with one of the tip atoms with the longitudinal axis of the first lens 216 without causing the tip 186 to be directed to the axis of the first lens 216. Transfer.

In some embodiments, the tip manipulator 208 can be configured A rotation motion that allows for additional vertices. For example, in the particular embodiment shown in Figure 17, when high pressure gas is introduced into the inlet 503 to reduce the friction between the surfaces 518 and 519 and allows the transfer 514 to be transferred in the xy plane, it can also be applied by Appropriate torque to the deflector 514 causes the diverter 514 to rotate about the axis 207. This rotation can be performed separately or additionally with the transfer of the tip 186 and the tilt adjustment of the tip 186.

E. Sample station

Referring again to FIG. 5, microscope system 200 includes the same manipulator 140 for supporting and securing sample 180. In response to control signals from electronic control system 170, sample manipulator 140 may transfer samples 180 on each of the x-, y-, and z-directions. In some embodiments, sample manipulator 140 can also rotate sample 180 in the x-y plane in response to the control signal. Moreover, in some embodiments, sample manipulator 140 can tilt sample 180 outside of the x-y plane in response to an appropriate control signal. Each of these degrees of freedom can be adjusted independently to achieve proper positioning of the sample 180 for the ion beam 192.

As explained in more detail below, in some embodiments, the sample manipulator 140 can be positively or negatively biased for a common external ground by applying relatively little power to the sample manipulator 140. For example, in some embodiments, a positive potential of 5 V or greater (eg, 10 V or greater, 20 V or greater, 30 V or greater, 40 V or greater, 50 V or greater) relative to a common external ground. A bias voltage can be applied to the manipulator 140 to assist in preventing positively charged helium ions from adhering to the surface 181 of the sample 180. In some embodiments, -200V or higher relative to a common external ground (eg, -150V or higher, -100V or higher, -50V or higher, -40V or higher, -30V or higher) , -20V or higher, -10V or higher, A negative potential bias of -5V or higher can be applied to the manipulator 140 to assist, for example, in accelerating the secondary electrons away from the sample (away from the surface 181 of the sample 180 via interaction of the ions with the sample 180), thereby ensuring that Secondary electrons are detected by a suitably configured detector. In general, the potential applied to the manipulator 140 can be selected as desired depending on the particular material being studied, the cesium ion current, and the exposure time of the sample.

F. Detector

Figure 5 schematically depicts detectors 150 and 160 in which detector 150 is fixed to detect particles from surface 181 of sample 180 (the surface on which the ion beam impinges) and fix detector 160 as a detector. Particles from surface 183 of sample 180 were measured. In general, a wide range of different detectors can be used in microscope system 200 to detect different particles, and microscope system 200 can typically include any desired number of detectors. The configuration of the various detectors can be selected depending on the particles to be measured and the measurement conditions. In some embodiments, a spectrally resolved detector can be used. Such detectors are capable of detecting particles and/or wavelengths of different energies and decomposing particles based on the energy and/or wavelength of each detected particle. In some embodiments, the spectrally resolved detector includes components that are capable of directing particles to different regions of the detector based on the energy and/or wavelength of the particles.

The following describes the configuration of some exemplary detectors and detectors.

(i) Everhart-Thornley detector

The Everhart-Thornley (ET) detector can be used to detect secondary electrons, ions and/or neutral particles. 18 shows a schematic diagram of an ET detector 600, which includes a particle selector 601, a conversion material 602, a support 604, and light. Sub-detector 606 and voltage sources 607 and 608.

The particle selector 601 is formed using a conductive material. For example, in some embodiments, the particle selector 601 can be a metal grid or grid having less than approximately 30% (eg, less than 25%, less than 20%, less than 10%, less than 5%) metal fill Factor. Because the grid is primarily open space, particles striking the grid can pass relatively unhindered.

In some embodiments, particle selector 601 is formed using a metal ring or tube. For example, the particle selector 601 can be a substantially cylindrical ring or tube having an internal opening through which the particles can pass through the ring or tube. The ring or tube can be formed from a highly conductive metal such as copper or aluminum.

More generally, any open electrode structure can be employed to form the particle selector 601, which includes a channel through which the particles pass. The particle selector 601 can be formed using one or more electrodes, and the potential applied to the one or more electrodes can be selected as desired, depending on the type of particle being measured.

The conversion material 602 is formed using a material that can form photons after interaction with charged particles (eg, ions, electrons). Exemplary materials include phosphor materials and/or scintillation materials (eg, crystalline materials such as yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) and yttrium aluminum phosphate (YAP)). The support member 604 is formed of a material that is relatively transparent to the photons formed by the conversion material 602.

During operation, voltage source 607 applies a relatively small amount of voltage (e.g., 500V or less, such as from 100V to 500V) to particle selector 601 (formed with a conductive material), and voltage source 608 applies a relatively large voltage. (for example, 5 kV or more, 10 kV or more) to the conversion material 602. The concrete use of an ET detector for measuring electrons (eg, secondary electrons) from sample 180 In the embodiment, the signals applied to the voltage of the particle selector 601 and the conversion material 602 are positive for the sample 180. In a particular embodiment where an ET detector is used to measure ions (eg, secondary ions, scattered ions) from sample 180, the signals applied to the voltage of particle selector 601 and conversion material 602 are negative for sample 180. In some embodiments, the sample 180 can also be biased (for a common external ground) to assist in delivering particles from the sample 180 to the detector 600. For example, when an ET detector is used to measure secondary electrons from sample 180, the sample can be negatively biased relative to a common external ground. Applying a negative potential bias to the manipulator 140 can be particularly useful, for example, when detecting a high aspect ratio (e.g., deep) hole in a sample or a secondary electron generated in a channel. The negative potential bias relative to the common external ground can assist in accelerating the electrons outside the hole or channel and away from the sample, making electron detection easier. In the absence of a negative bias, many secondary electrons can instead re-enter the sample at a point along the hole or channel wall, thereby never escaping from the hole or channel for detection.

For example, when an ET detector is used to measure ions from sample 180, the sample can be positively biased. The magnitude of the potential applied to bias the sample may be 5 V or more (for example, 10 V or more, 15 V or more, 20 V or more, 30 V or more, 50 V or more, 100 V or more).

Charged particles 610 (e.g., electrons or ions) from sample 180 are absorbed into particle selector 601, passed through particle selection 601, and accelerated toward conversion material 602. The charged particles 610 then collide with the conversion material 602 to produce photons 612. Photon 612 passes through support 604 and is detected by photon detector 606.

Although the operation of the ET detector has been described for measuring charged particles, the ET detector can also be used to detect neutral particles because of the impact on the conversion material. The particles on material 602 do not have to be charged to produce photons 612. In particular, a single atom from sample 180 and impinging on conversion material 602 can generate photons 612 for detection by photon detector 606. Photon detector 606 can be, for example, a photomultiplier tube (PMT), a diode, a diode array, or a CCD camera.

The ET detector can be positioned at any position relative to the sample 180 to detect neutral or charged particles. For example, in general, the ET detector is fixed adjacent to the second lens 226 of the ion optics 130. Optionally, the ET detector can also be fixed so that it tilts slightly downward toward the sample 180 (e.g., with a configuration similar to that described for the detector 150 in Figure 5).

In some embodiments, the ET detector can be attached adjacent the surface 183 of the sample 180. This configuration may be required, for example, when seeking to measure secondary electrons from sample 180 that emerge from surface 183 (e.g., after transmission through sample 180). In such embodiments, the ET detector may have a configuration similar to that of the detector 160 of FIG.

(ii) Photon detector

To detect photons generated by the interaction of ions with the sample 180, a standard photon detector such as PMT can be used. If the photon flux emitted from sample 180 is sufficiently large, fewer sensitive photon detectors (eg, diodes, diode arrays, and CCD cameras) can be used.

In some embodiments, the photon detector can also include various optical components that can be configured to isolate important specific optical signals, for example, from other optical signals. For example, in some embodiments, the optical detector can include optical elements (eg, filters) to select a particular wavelength band among the photon signals emerging from the sample 180, which can provide a set of materials for the sample 180 Sub-information. The filter can, for example, block photons of undesired wavelengths (eg, by absorbing photons of undesired wavelengths, by reflecting photons of undesired wavelengths, by diverting photons of undesired wavelengths). In some embodiments, the optical element can provide spectral resolution (eg, to measure the spectrum of photons produced by sample 180) by spatially dispersing different wavelengths (eg, using a winding such as one or more gratings) A firing element, and/or a refractive element such as one or more turns, and/or one or more spectrometer systems that provide wavelength resolution detection of photons). In some embodiments, the photon detector can include polarization steering elements, such as wave plates and/or polarizers. The polarization steering elements can be configured to, for example, enable photons having only selected polarization states to reach the PMT, thereby permitting polarization selective detection of photon signals emerging from the sample 180 (eg, to assist in determining the sample 180) Crystal positioning information). In some embodiments, the photon detector can also include optical components such as mirrors, lenses, beamsplitters, and other components for redirecting and manipulating incident photons (eg, to increase the stereo angle of the detected photons). ).

In general, the photon detector can be fixed to detect photons at any desired angle and distance from the sample 180. For example, in some embodiments, a photon detector can be fixed to detect from surface 181 (the surface of sample 180, on which ion beam 192 is incident) or from surface 183 (the surface of sample 180, The photons appearing opposite to the incident surface of the ion beam 192). Optionally, multiple photon detectors can be used and configured to detect surface 181 from the sample 180 (the surface impinged by the ion beam), 183 (the surface on the opposite side of the surface against which the ion beam strikes), and/or other The photon of the surface.

For some examples, the photon is scattered in a particular direction according to the selection rules for the optical program appearing in the sample 180, and from the sample An angular decomposition measurement of the photon yield of 180 can provide, for example, information about the material composition of the sample 180.

(iii) Microchannel board detector

In some embodiments, a microchannel plate detector can be used to amplify the flux of secondary electrons, neutral atoms, or ions from sample 180. Microchannel plate systems are typically formed from materials such as fused crucibles and generally comprise a plurality of small diameter channels configured in an array. Particles enter individual channels and collide with the channel walls, creating free electrons. In general, a particle (neutral atom, ion or electron) produces multiple free electrons each time it collides with a channel wall. Therefore, the series electronic signal corresponding to the magnification of the input particle signal exits the microchannel plate.

A microchannel plate based detector (which may include one or more microchannel plates) may be configured to detect ions, secondary electrons, and/or neutral atoms from the sample 180. Neutral particles and/or ions formed from the sample 180 (e.g., secondary ions and atoms, scattered ions and primary atoms) typically leave the surface 181 of the sample 180 (the surface impinged by the ion beam). Thus, a microchannel plate based detector system configured to measure neutral particles and/or ions from sample 180 is typically positioned at a location similar to detector 150 described in FIGS. 1 and 5. However, in certain embodiments, neutral particles and/or ions (eg, transmitted ions) can be investigated. In such embodiments, the microchannel plate based detector can be positioned at a location similar to the position of detector 160 in FIGS. 1 and 5. Secondary electrons may be detected from surface 181 (the surface impinged by the ion beam) and/or surface 183 of sample 180 (the surface on the opposite side of the surface impinged by the ion beam) and configured to detect twice from sample 180 The microchannel plate based detector is positioned in a detector 150 and/or detector 160 similar to that described in FIGS. 1 and 5. The location of the location.

The microchannel plate amplifies an input particle signal and converts the input particle signal into an output electronic signal. To visualize the output electronic signal, the microchannel plate based detector can also include conversion materials, screens, and photon detectors (see above).

In some embodiments, the microchannel plate is attached directly to the elements of ion optics 130. FIG. 19 shows a cross-sectional view of the microchannel plate detector 620 mounted directly on the second lens 226. The second lens 226 has a tapered shape with a flat lower surface 622. The detector 620 is mounted directly to the surface 622. When the sample 180 is exposed to the ion beam 192, ions, secondary electrons, and/or neutral atoms from the sample 180 (collectively indicated by arrow 624) may be detected by the microchannel plate detector 620. The detector 620 temporarily stores a current proportional to the detected particle flux, which can be transmitted to the electronic control system 170.

(iv) Conversion board

In some embodiments, the conversion plate can be used to detect ions from sample 180 (eg, scattered ions, secondary ions) or neutral particles from sample 180 (eg, a neutral neutral germanium atom). In general, a thin foil material can be used to form a conversion plate that has a high secondary electron yield when impacted by incident ions or atoms. An example of this material is platinum. The secondary electron yield produces a secondary electron abundance that can be easily detected by a suitable electronic detector configured, for example, as detectors 150 and/or 160 (Figs. 1 and 5). .

(v) channel multiplier detector

The channel multiplier detector can also be used to detect particles such as electrons, ions, and neutral atoms that leave the sample 180. Channel multiplier detector by The following functions are used to amplify the particle signal through multiple internal collisions in a manner similar to that described in connection with a microchannel plate detector. Relative weaker secondary electron, ion or neutral atom flux from sample 180 can be measured by measuring the amplified particle signal output by the channel multiplier detector (e.g., using electronic control system 170). When measuring secondary electrons from sample 180, the channel multiplier detector can be positioned at a location similar to that described by detector 150 and/or detector 160 in FIGS. 1 and 5. In general, to measure ions and/or neutral particles from sample 180, the channel multiplier detector is positioned at a position similar to detector 150 as described in Figures 1 and 5 and/or detector The location of the 160 position.

(vi) Phosphor detector

A phosphor-based detector (which includes a thin layer of phosphor material deposited atop a transparent substrate) and a photon detector (such as a CCD camera, a PMT or one or more diodes) Detecting electrons, ions, and/or neutral particles from sample 180. The particles impinge on the phosphor layer, thereby initiating the emission of photons from the phosphor, which are detected by a photon detector. The phosphor based detector can be configured at a location similar to that of detector 150 and/or detector 160 as described in Figures 1 and 5, depending on the type of particle being measured ( See above instructions).

(vii) solid state detector

A solid state detector can be used to detect secondary electrons, ions, and/or neutral atoms from sample 180. The solid state detector can be constructed using a sensor formed of a material such as tantalum or a doped germanium material. When the incident particles impact the sensor, a pair of holes are created in the sensor material to produce a current that can be detected by the electronic control system 170. Number of holes generated by incident particles The magnitude of the current, and therefore the current produced, depends in part on the energy of the particles. Thus, solid state detectors can be particularly useful for energy measurement of particles, which can be particularly advantageous when detecting high energy particles from sample 180, such as scattering helium ions and neutral germanium atoms.

(viii) Scintillation detector

Similar to a phosphor-based detector, a scintillator-based detector contains a scintillation material that produces photons in response to impact by incident particles (electrons, ions, or neutral atoms). Suitable scintillator materials include, for example, YAG and YAP. The photon yield in a scintillator-based detector depends on the energy of the incident particles. Thus, the scintillator detector can be particularly useful for energy measurement of particles, which can be particularly advantageous when detecting high energy particles from sample 180, such as scattering erbium ions and neutral germanium atoms.

(ix) Energy detector for ions

A variety of different detectors and detection schemes can be implemented to measure the energy of ions (e.g., scattered erbium ions) from sample 180. An electrostatic krypton detector that uses an electric field and/or a magnetic field for deflecting incident ions in the case where the amount of deflection depends on the energy of the ions can be used to spatially separate ions having different energies. Magnetic germanium detectors can also be used to spatially separate ions based on the energy of the ions. Any of the suitable detectors described above (eg, microchannel plates, channel multipliers, and other detectors) can therefore be used to detect deflected ions.

The quadrupole detector can also be used to analyze the energy of ions from sample 180. In quadrupole detectors, the radio frequency (RF) field within the quadrupole ensures that ions of selected mass and energy propagate along straight, undeflected orbits within the quadrupole. Ions with different masses and/or energies propagate along curved orbits within the quadrupole. Can be divided from four poles The deflection position of the ions in the analyzer determines the energy of the ions.

In some embodiments, a positively biased particle selector (eg, a mesh or mesh of conductive material, or a cylindrical metal tube or ring) can be placed along the flight path of the ion and in front of the detector. Determine the ion energy. The magnitude of the potential applied to the particle selector 601 can be initially high (e.g., to prevent a certain value of ions from passing through the sample 180), and the magnitude of the potential can be reduced while using an appropriate detector (see The above description) to detect ions. The current of the ions arriving at the detector as a function of the magnitude of the potential bias on the particle selector can be used to determine information about the energy of the ions.

(x) Energy detector for electronics

A variety of different detectors and detection schemes can be implemented to measure the energy of electrons (e.g., secondary electrons) from sample 180. A chirp detector that uses an electric field and/or a magnetic field for deflecting incident electrons in the case where the amount of deflection depends on the energy of the ions can be used to spatially separate electrons having different energies. Any of the suitable detectors described above can therefore be used to detect deflection electrons.

In some embodiments, a negatively biased particle selector (eg, a mesh or mesh of conductive material, or a cylindrical metal tube or ring) can be placed along the flight path of the electrons and in front of the detector. Determine the electron energy. The magnitude of the potential of the particle selector can be initially high (eg, to prevent a certain value of electrons passing through the sample 180), and the magnitude of the potential can be reduced while using a suitable detector (see above) To detect electrons. The electron current reaching the detector as a function of the magnitude of the applied potential on the particle selector can be used to determine information about the energy of the electron.

(xi) time of flight detector

The detector disclosed above can also be configured to measure time-of-flight information for secondary electrons, ions, and neutral atoms. To perform time of flight detection, the ion beam 192 is operated in a pulsed mode. For example, a pulse can be applied to the electron beam 192 by rapidly changing the potential applied to one or both of the deflectors 220 and 222. For example, by increasing this equipotential, ion beam 192 can be diverted from its normal path in ion optics 130 to temporarily block ion beam 192 by aperture 224. If the potentials of the deflectors 220 and 222 are then restored to their normal values for a relatively short period of time and then increased again, a pulse of helium ions can be delivered to the sample 180.

At the same time, detectors 150 and 160 can be synchronized with a clock signal from electronic control system 170 based on time variations in the potential applied to detectors 220 and/or 222. Therefore, the time interval between the emission of the helium ion pulse and the detection of the particles from the sample 180 can be accurately measured. From the known information about the time of propagation of the helium ion pulse within the ion optics 130, the time of flight of the detected particles between the sample 180 and the detectors 150 and/or 160 can be determined.

(xii) angle dependent measurement

In addition to measuring the relative abundance and energy of the particles from sample 180, angular dependent scattering information can also be obtained using the detector disclosed above. In general, to obtain angle dependent information, the detector is attached to a backplane (e.g., a rotating backplane) that allows the detector to move within a range of solid angles with respect to the sample 180. The abundance and/or energy measurements of the particles are recorded for a given location of the sample 180 corresponding to a particular solid angle. The detectors are re-fixed at different stereo angles in sequence, and the measurements are repeated to determine the angular dependence of the number of measurements. In some embodiments, a restricted aperture such as a pinhole can be used in scattering particles The path is placed in front of the detector to further limit the range of angles at which measurements from the particles of sample 180 occur.

G. Operating parameters

The ion beam 192 can have a relatively small spot size on the surface 181 of the sample 180. For example, in some embodiments, the spot size of the ion beam 192 on the surface 181 of the sample 180 can have a size of 10 nm or less (eg, 9 nm or less, 8 nm or less, 7 nm or less, 6 nm or more). Small, 5 nm or smaller, 4 nm or smaller, 3 nm or smaller, 2 nm or smaller, 1 nm or smaller). In some embodiments, the spot size of ion beam 192 on surface 181 of sample 180 has a thickness of 0.05 nm or greater (eg, 0.1 nm or greater, 0.2 nm or greater, 0.25 nm or greater, 0.5 nm). Or larger, 0.75 nm or larger, 1 nm or larger, 2 nm or larger, 3 nm or larger). In some embodiments, the spot size of ion beam 192 on surface 181 has from 0.05 nm to 10 nm (eg, from 0.1 nm to 10 nm, from 0.2 nm to 10 nm, from 0.25 nm to 3 nm, from 0.25 nm to 1 nm). Size from 0.1 nm to 0.5 nm, from 0.1 nm to 0.2 nm). The spot size used herein is determined as follows with reference to Figs. 20A to 20C. An island 1700 formed of gold and having a size from 50 nm to 2000 nm is placed on a carbon surface 1710. The gold island is formed on the carbon surface, for example, by vapor deposition of gold. Measurement samples comprising gold islands deposited on carbon and suitable for the resolution measurements described herein can be purchased, for example, commercially from Structure Probe Corporation (West Chester, Pa.). The ion microscope is operated such that it linearly moves the ion beam 192 (arrow 1730) across a portion of the gold island and a portion of the carbon surface on one side of the gold island. The intensity of the secondary electrons is measured as a function of the position of the ion beam (Fig. 20C). The asymptotes 1740 and 1750 are calculated (or plotted) to correspond to the average total abundance of carbon and gold, and the vertical lines 1760 and 1770 are calculated (or plotted) to correspond to the abundance difference between the asymptotes 1740 and 1750. The total abundance is 25% and 75%, respectively. The spot size of the ion microscope 200 is the distance between lines 1760 and 1770.

In general, the current of ion beam 192 on surface 181 of sample 180 is 1 nA or less (eg, 100 pA or less, 50 pA or less), and/or 0.1 fA or greater (eg, 1 fA or greater, 10 fA). Or larger, 50fA or greater, 100fA or greater, 1pA or greater, 10pA or greater). For example, in some embodiments, the current of ion beam 192 on surface 181 of sample 180 is from 0.1 fA to 1 nA (eg, from 10 fA to 100 pA, from 100 fA to 50 pA). In some embodiments, it may be desirable to use a relatively low beam current when imaging the same. For example, in certain biological and/or medical applications, it may be more important to use a low current to image the sample (eg, to reduce possible damage to the sample). In such embodiments, a current can be used to prepare a gas field ion microscope (eg, a current of 10 fA or greater), and a different current can be used to image the sample (eg, less than 1 fA (eg, 0.1 fA)) .

In general, ion beam 192 has an energy spread of 5 eV or less (e.g., 4 eV or less, 3 eV or less, 2 eV or less, 1 eV or less, 0.5 eV or less) on surface 181 of sample 180. . In such embodiments, ion beam 192 has an energy spread of 0.1 eV or greater (e.g., 0.2 eV or greater, 0.3 eV or greater, 0.4 eV or greater) on surface 181 of sample 180. For example, ion beam 192 can have an energy spread from 0.1 eV to 5 eV (eg, from 0.1 eV to 3 eV, from 0.1 eV to 1 eV) on surface 181 of sample 180.

Ion beam 192 can have a relatively high brightness on surface 181 of sample 180. For example, ion beam 192 can have 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr on surface 181 of sample 180 (eg, 1 x 10 ¹⁰ A/cm ² sr or greater, 1 x 10 ¹¹ A/cm ² sr or greater). ) brightness. In some embodiments, the brightness can be increased by increasing the gas pressure adjacent the tip 186 and/or decreasing the temperature of the tip 186. The brightness of the ion beam referred to herein is measured as follows. The FWHM of the distribution of ion orbits in the ion beam 192 in the region of the space between the skimmer 190 and the first lens 216 is determined in the x- and y-directions, in which the net electric field is relatively small and the ions The track is almost straight. A total of 100 ion trajectories within the FWHM width in the x- and y- directions are randomly selected from the distribution of ion orbitals in the ion beam 192. Each of the 100 ion tracks is almost straight and protrudes back toward the tip apex 187. With the plane parallel to the xy plane passing through the point z and _{t is} the minimum diameter of the circle Z _t orbital plane configured closed and the backward propagating Z _{t is} the intersection of all, assess the track at a particular point _t in the z-z axis of The range of space. The diameter of the smallest diameter circle is d _s . In general, for a point z _t that is closer to the tip apex 187, d _s will be smaller and for a point z _t closer to the sample 180, d _s will be larger. At a particular point z _t = z ₀ , d _s will be the minimum value d ₀ . That is, the spatial extent of the orbits in the plane parallel to the xy plane will be the minimum. The diameter d ₀ line at the point z ₀ of the minimum diameter of the circle is called a virtual source size of microscope system 200.. Next, the divergence and ion beam current of the ion beam 192 in the FWHM region of the ion beam 192 between the skimmer 190 and the first lens 216 is measured, as explained above. Finally, the brightness is calculated as the product of the ion beam current divided by the virtual source size and the steric divergence angle of the ion beam 192.

The ion beam 192 can have a relatively high reduced brightness on the surface 181 of the sample 180. For example, ion beam 192 can have 5 x 10 ⁸ A/m ² srV or greater on surface 181 of sample 180 (eg, 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² srV or greater, 1 x 10 ¹⁰ A/cm ² srV) Or larger) to reduce the brightness. The reduced brightness of the ion beam referred to herein is the brightness of the ion beam divided by the average energy of the ions in the ion beam at the location where the ion beam current is measured.

The ion beam 192 can have a relatively low spread at the distal end 193 of the skimmer 190. For example, the ion beam 192 can have a 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less at the distal end 193 of the skimmer 190 (eg, 1 x 10 ^-22 cm ² sr or less, 1 x 10 ^-23 cm ² sr) Or less, 1 x 10 ^-23 cm ² sr or less, 1 × 10 ^-24 cm ² sr or less). The spread of the ion beam referred to herein is calculated as the mathematical product of the reciprocal of the brightness and the beam current.

The ion beam 192 can have a relatively low reduced spread at the distal end 193 of the skimmer 190. For example, the ion beam 192 can have a 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² sr or less at the distal end 193 of the skimmer 190 (eg, 1 x 10 ^-17 cm ² sr or less, 1 x 10 ^-18 cm ² sr) Reduced spread of smaller or smaller, 1 × 10 ^-19 cm ² sr or smaller). The reduced spread of the ion beam is the mathematical product of the spread of the ion beam and the average energy versus charge ratio of the ions in the ion beam at the location of the ion beam current.

The ion beam 192 can have a relatively low angle convergence for the surface 181 of the sample 180. For example, in some embodiments, the convergence half angle of ion beam 192 can be 5 mrad or less (eg, 1 mrad or less, 0.5 mrad or less, 0.1 mrad or less), and/or 0.05 mrad or greater. . The converging half angle of the ion beam referred to herein is measured as follows. As explained above, the sample containing the gold islands on top of the carbon substrate is mounted in the ion microscope 200 and transferred in the z direction so that the focus of the ion beam 192 is as close as possible to the highest level along the diameter of the gold island. . Next diameter along the linear transfer gold islands 192 and measures the ion beam focused spot size of the ion beam s _f, as described above. The sample system is then shifted away from the ion optics 130 in the +z direction by s _z = 1 μm, and the ion beam 192 is linearly transferred along the same diameter of the gold island to measure the defocused spot size s _{d of the} ion beam 192. The focus angle η can then be determined by triangulation from the focus and defocus spot size along with the transfer distance measurement as:

The converging half angle of the ion microscope 200 is η/2.

The ion microscope 200 can have high reliability. For example, in some embodiments, a helium ion source (tip 186, skimmer 190, and optional suppressor 188) can continuously interact with gas atoms to produce an ion beam for a week or longer (eg, A period of two weeks or longer, one month or longer, two months or longer without removing the tip 186 from the system. In some embodiments, the current of the ion beam 192 on the surface 181 of the sample 180 varies by 10% or less per minute during a time period in which the helium ion source system interacts continuously with the gas atoms to produce the ion beam. (eg 5% or less, 1% or less).

By way of further example, in some embodiments, a gas field ion source (tip 186, skimmer 190, and optional suppressor 188) can interact with gas atoms to produce an ion beam for a week or more (eg, a time period of two weeks or longer, one month or longer, two months or longer, with 10 hours or less (eg 5 hours or less, 2 hours or less, 1 hour) Or shorter) total interruption time. In such embodiments, the gas field ion source can interact continuously with the gas atoms to produce an ion beam for the entire time period (corresponding to a total interruption time of zero hours), but this is not necessary. For example, during this time period, there may be a gas field ion microscope that does not interact with gas atoms to create a separation The number of sub-beams. Such time periods correspond to an interruption time. During this time period, such interruptions may occur one or more times (eg, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten). The interruption may be due to, for example, scheduled maintenance, accidental maintenance, and/or a stop time between offsets (eg, overnight stop times). During this time period, the total number of interruptions is the total interruption time. For example, if there are three interruption times during this time period, each time being one hour, the total interruption time is three hours. Also for example, if there is only one interruption time during the time period and it is three hours, the total interruption time is three hours. Also for example, if there are two interruption times during the time period, the first interruption time is one hour and the second interruption time is two hours, the total interruption time is three hours. In some embodiments, the current of the ion beam 192 on the surface 181 of the sample 180 varies by 10 per minute for the time period during which the gas field ion source interacts with the gas atoms to produce the ion beam. % or less (eg 5% or less, 1% or less).

The ion microscope 200 can have a relatively better resolution. For example, in some embodiments, the resolution of the ion microscope 200 can be 10 nm or less (eg, 9 nm or less, 8 nm or less, 7 nm or less, 6 nm or less, 5 nm or less, 4 nm). Or smaller, 3 nm or less, 2 nm or less, 1 nm or less). In some embodiments, the resolution of ion microscope 200 can be 0.05 nm or greater (eg, 0.1 nm or greater, 0.2 nm or greater, 0.25 nm or greater, 0.5 nm or greater, 0.75 nm or Larger, 1 nm or larger, 2 nm or larger, 3 nm or larger). In some embodiments, the resolution of the ion microscope 200 can range from 0.05 nm to 10 nm (eg, from 0.1 nm to 10 nm, from 0.2 nm to 10 nm, from 0.25 nm to 3 nm, from 0.25 nm to 1 nm, from 0.1 nm to 0.5 nm, from 0.1 nm to 0.2 nm). The resolution of the ion beam as used herein refers to the smallest feature that can be reliably measured from an image obtained using an ion microscope. If it can be determined that the size of a feature is within 10% or less of the actual size of the feature, the size of the feature is reliably measured, and the size is measured from ten images of features obtained under similar conditions. The standard deviation in the system is less than 5% of the actual size of the feature.

The ion microscope 200 can be used to obtain good quality images over a relatively short period of time. For example, the ion microscope 200 can have a figure of merit of 0.25 or greater (eg, 0.5 or greater, 0.75 or greater, 1 or greater, 1.5 or greater, 2 or greater). The quality factor referred to herein is determined as follows. Fixing a planar sample (half of which is formed using bismuth (Si) and the other half is formed of copper (Cu), a boundary between the materials is along the line of the sample) to orient the boundary parallel to y Axis. The sample is imaged pixel by pixel by subdividing the surface of the sample into an xy array of 512 pixels x 512 pixels. During the measurement, the dwell time of each pixel is 100 ns. The total abundance of secondary electrons from the sample is measured as a function of the position of the ion beam on the surface of the sample. For image pixels corresponding to Si in the sample, the average pixel intensity G _{1 is determined} , along with the standard deviation SD ₁ of the distribution from the Si pixel intensity. For image pixels corresponding to Cu in the sample, the average pixel intensity G _{2 is determined} , along with the standard deviation SD ₂ from the distribution of Cu pixel intensities. Calculate the quality factor according to the following equation:

The surface 181 of the sample 180 can be exposed to the ion beam 192. Relatively small damage. For example, depending on the damage test, surface 181 of sample 180 may have a value of 25 nm or less (eg, 20 nm or less, 15 nm or less, 10 nm or less, 5 nm or less). The damage test referred to herein is performed as follows. Automated flat 矽 (99.99% purity) samples with a field of view of four square μm were imaged for 120 seconds while using a beam current of 10 pA at the sample and a spot size of 10 nm or less of the ion beam at the sample, pixel by pixel The ion beam is raster scanned across the surface of the sample. For a raster scan purpose, a four square [mu]m field of view is divided into 512 pixels x 512 pixel arrays. The value of the damage test corresponds to the maximum distance etched into the imaged portion of the sputum sample produced by performing the damage test.

The ion microscope 200 can have a relatively large depth of focus. For example, in some embodiments, the depth of focus of the ion microscope 200 can be 5 nm or greater (eg, 10 nm or greater, 100 nm or greater, 1 μιη or greater), and/or 200 μιη or greater (eg, 100 μm or less, 10 μm or less). In some embodiments, the depth of focus of microscope 200 can range from 200 μm to 5 nm (eg, from 500 μm to 5 nm, from 1 mm to 5 nm). The depth of focus of the ion beam used herein is measured in the following manner. A sample of a gold island formed on a carbon substrate (as previously described in connection with the measurement of the size of the cesium ion beam spot) is inserted into a helium ion microscope, and measurement of the spot size of the erbium ion beam is performed, as explained above. . The position of the sample along the z-axis is iteratively adjusted to determine the position of the sample that produces the smallest pupil beam spot size. This position along the z-axis is expressed as z _f . The spot size of the helium ion beam at z _f is expressed as ss _f . Next, for z _f in the -z direction to incrementally transfer the sample. Performing a spot size measuring helium ion beam after the continuous transfer increments (at a sample at the same position on the decision of the z _f). When the measured 氦 ion beam spot size is 2 ss _f , the transfer of the sample is stopped. This position of the sample along the z-axis is expressed as z _u . Next, the sample is transferred incrementally in the +z direction relative to z _u and through the point z _f . Performing a spot size measuring helium ion beam after the continuous transfer increments (at a sample at the same position on the decision of the z _f). When the measured 氦 ion beam spot size is 2 ss _f , the transfer of the sample is stopped. This position of the sample along the z-axis is represented as z ₁ . The focused helium ion microscope to calculate the depth d _{f d f = | z 1 -z u} |.

In some embodiments, using, for example, secondary electron yield, scattered ion abundance, and/or angle and energy decomposition scattered ion detection, a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope) as disclosed herein can be used Used to distinguish elements in samples that are very close to the number of atoms (Z values). For example, in some embodiments, a gas field ion microscope can be used to distinguish elements having a number of atoms (Z values) that differ by only one.

In some embodiments, using, for example, secondary electron yield, scattered ion abundance, and/or angle and energy decomposition scattered ion detection, a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope) as disclosed herein can be used Used to distinguish elements in samples that are very close to mass. In certain embodiments, gas field ion microscopy can be used to distinguish masses that differ by one atomic mass unit or less (eg, 0.9 atomic mass units or less, 0.8 atomic mass units or less, 0.7 atomic mass units, or Smaller, 0.6 atomic mass units or less, 0.5 atomic mass units or less, 0.4 atomic mass units or less, 0.3 atomic mass units or less, 0.2 atomic mass units or less, 0.1 atomic mass units or less )Elements. In some embodiments, the same may have a range formed using materials having different average qualities, such as alloys. In such embodiments, a gas field ion microscope can, for example, be used to distinguish between only one atomic mass having a phase difference Unit of mass or less (for example, 0.9 atomic mass units or less, 0.8 atomic mass units or less, 0.7 atomic mass units or less, 0.6 atomic mass units or less, 0.5 atomic mass units or less, 0.4 atomic mass The range of materials of mass per unit or less, 0.3 atomic mass units or less, 0.2 atomic mass units or less, 0.1 atomic mass units or less.

H. Optional features

(i) High efficiency gas use

In some embodiments, more focused delivery of helium gas to tip 206 can increase the efficiency of helium gas utilization within microscope system 200. In general, un-ionized helium gas atoms can enter ion optics 130, which can increase the width of the distribution of the energy of the ions in ion beam 192. In addition, low energy non-ionized helium gas atoms can participate in the charge exchange with high energy helium ions, which can also increase the width of the energy distribution of ions in the ion beam 192.

Thus, in some embodiments, the gas delivery system can be designed to provide a gas (e.g., helium gas) to the tip 186 of the gas field ion source 120 in a more specified manner and removed from the system in a more efficient manner. Unused gas (eg, non-ionized helium gas). For example, Figure 21 is a schematic illustration of a portion of a gas field ion microscope including a gas source 110 and a vacuum pump 734. The gas source 110 includes a delivery tube 730 that terminates in a delivery nozzle 736 having a length q and a diameter n, and the vacuum pump 734 includes an inlet port 732. The nozzle 736 is fixed at a distance g from the apex 187 of the tip 186 and the inlet jaw 732 is fixed at a distance l from the apex 187 of the tip 186.

In certain embodiments, g can be 10 mm or less (eg, 9 mm or less, 8 mm or less, 7 mm or less). In general, g is 3mm Or larger (for example 4 mm or more, 5 mm or more, 6 mm or more). For example, g can be from 3 mm to 10 mm (eg, from 4 mm to 9 mm, from 5 mm to 8 mm).

In certain embodiments, l can be 100 mm or less (eg, 90 mm or less, 80 mm or less, 70 mm or less, 60 mm or less, 50 mm or less). In general, l is 10 mm or more (for example, 20 mm or more, 30 mm or more, 40 mm or more). For example, l can be from 10 mm to 100 mm (for example from 30 mm to 100 mm, from 40 mm to 80 mm).

In some embodiments, the partial pressure of the helium gas at the location of the apex 187 of the tip 186 is 10 ^-5 Torr or greater (eg, 10 ^-4 Torr or greater, 10 ^-3 Torr or greater, 10 ^{- 2} Torr or larger, 10 ^-1 Torr or larger, 1 Torr or larger). At the same time, the overall pressure of the helium gas in the microscope system can be reduced relative to the system introduced using the background of helium gas. For example, the overall enthalpy pressure in the microscope system 200 is 10 ^-4 Torr or less (eg, 10 ^-5 Torr or less, 10 ^-6 Torr or less, 10 ^-7 Torr or less, 10 ^-8 Torr or more). small).

In some embodiments, the distance l and the cross-sectional area of the inlet 732 are selected such that the vacuum pump 734 captures the non-ionized germanium atoms within a particular solid angle region of the microscope system 200. For example, for germanium atoms fixed at the apex 187 of the tip 186, the stereo angle by the inlet bore 732 is 5° or greater (eg, 10° or greater, 15° or greater, 20° or Larger, 30° or larger, 40° or larger).

In general, the ratio of the length q of the delivery tube 730 to the diameter n of the tube 730 can be selected to control the distribution of the orbits of the helium gas atoms delivered to the tip 186. For example, in some embodiments, the ratio q/n can be 3 or greater (eg, 4 or greater, 5 or greater, 6 or greater) and/or 10 or less (eg 9 or less, 8 or less, 7 or less). In some embodiments, the ratio q/n can be between 3 and 10 (eg, between 3 and 9, between 4 and 9, between 4 and 8, between 5 and 8, Between 5 and 7).

In some embodiments, the gas delivery system can include a plurality of delivery tubes and nozzles. For example, in certain embodiments, a gas delivery system can include two or more (eg, three or more, four or more, five or more, six or more) gas delivery tubes. Each of the plurality of gas delivery tubes can be secured to deliver helium gas to the tip 186 in a relatively straightforward manner. Due to the use of multiple gas delivery tubes, the partial pressure of the helium gas at the location of the apex 187 of the tip 186 can be further increased. One or more vacuum pumps can be used to remove the non-ionized helium gas from the microscope system 200.

In some embodiments, the gas delivery tube 730 can be incorporated into another component of the system. For example, in certain embodiments, gas delivery tube 730 can deliver one or more aisles (eg, two or more aisles, for gas in scoop 190 and/or suppressor 188, Four or more aisles, six or more aisles are formed. In some embodiments, one or more aisles for gas delivery (eg, two or more aisles, four or more) may be provided in the columns supporting the tip 186 (eg, posts 522a/b and 552) Multiple aisles, six or more aisles). For example, in some embodiments, the skimmer 190 can include four aisles for delivering gas to the tip 186. The aisles may be equally spaced and radially disposed along the circumference of the dipper 190 such that the opening of each aisle directly faces the tip 186. The length to diameter ratio of each of the aisles may be the same or different.

Several advantages can be realized by incorporating a gas delivery tube into other components of the microscope system 200. For example, an electric field near the tip 186 can be disturbed using a metal tube 730 placed close to the tip 186 for gas delivery. Incorporating a gas delivery tube into another element of the microscope system can eliminate such disturbances. By way of further example, the spatial region near the tip 186 is typically packed with electrodes and other devices for operating the microscope system 200. By incorporating the gas delivery tube 730 into another element of the system, crowding near the tip 186 can be reduced.

In some embodiments, the helium gas delivered via the delivery tube 730 can be pre-cooled so that the gas approaches the operating temperature of the tip 186 as it enters the microscope system 200. For example, a portion of the delivery tube 730 can be placed in contact with a supply reservoir for a coolant (eg, liquid nitrogen) for cooling the tip 186. Because of this thermal contact, the helium system traveling through tube 730 is cooled to near the same temperature as tip 186 and then introduced into the reaction chamber where fixed tip 186 is located.

(ii) surface charge neutralization

In general, when the erbium ion is incident on the surface of a sample, the secondary electrons leave the sample. Many secondary electrons leave the sample, creating a surface with a net positive charge. Excessive positive charges on the surface of the sample can produce several undesirable effects. In some embodiments, the material of the sample may be damaged by a positive charge. For example, certain materials are charge-sensitive and may react violently (eg, explode) in the presence of excessive positive (or negative) charges.

In some embodiments, the positive charge on the surface of the sample can limit the ability to detect a detector that exits the secondary electrons of the sample due to interaction of the ion beam with the sample. For example, the absorption between the sample and the positive charge on the surface of the secondary electrons can slow down the electrons, preventing the electrons from detecting. Device.

In some embodiments, a positive charge on the surface of the sample can cause an inaccurate ion beam raster scan. The deflection and deceleration of the incident ion beam caused by the electric field established by the positive charge on the surface of the sample can reduce the energy of the incident ion and change its orbit in an unpredictable manner.

If the net positive charge on the surface of the sample becomes sufficiently large, the surface of the sample can act as an electrostatic mirror for the helium ions that deflects the helium ions away from the surface of the sample before the helium ions reach the surface of the sample.

A flow gun capable of delivering electron flux to the surface of the sample can be used to counteract surface charge effects. 22 shows a portion of a gas field ion microscope that includes a first-rate gun 840 configured to deliver an electron beam 842 to surface 181 while the helium ion beam 192 is incident on surface 181 of sample 180. The electron flux on surface 181 can generally be controlled to balance the surface charge effect to the desired range by electron beam 842.

Although FIG. 22 depicts ion beam 192 and electron beam 842 simultaneously impinging on surface 181 of sample 180, other methods can be used. For example, prior to exposing surface 181 to helium ion beam 192, flow gun 840 can be configured to deliver electron beam 842 to sample 180 to establish charge layer 846 in the subsurface region of sample 180 (FIG. 23). Layer 846 has an average depth m below surface 181, and layer 846 has a thickness r measured in a direction perpendicular to surface 181. In general, depth m and thickness r can be controlled in layer 846 by the energy of the electrons in electron beam 842, the angle of incidence of electrons in electron beam 842 against surface 181, and the total amount of electrons delivered to sample 180. The density of electrons.

In some embodiments, when incident on surface 181, The average energy of the electrons in the electron beam 842 is adjusted. For example, the average energy of the electrons can be 500 eV or greater (eg, 1 keV or greater, 2 keV or greater), and/or 20 keV or less (eg, 15 keV or less, 10 keV or less). For example, when incident on surface 181, the average energy of electrons in electron beam 842 can range from 500 eV to 20 keV (eg, from 1 keV to 15 keV, from 2 keV to 10 keV).

The angle of incidence δ of the electrons in the electron beam 842 with respect to the surface 181 corresponds to the angle between the main track 850 of the electron beam 842 and the normal 848 of the surface 181. In general, δ is 0° or greater (e.g., 10° or greater, 20° or greater), and/or 80° or less (e.g., 70° or less, 60° or less). For example, δ can be from 0° to 70° (eg, from 0° to 10°, from 40° to 60°).

In certain embodiments, the total current of electrons delivered to sample 180 is 10 pA or greater (eg, 100 pA or greater, 1 nA or greater, 10 nA or greater), and/or 100 μA or less (eg, 10 μA) Or smaller, 1 μA or less, 500 nA or less, 100 nA or less). For example, the total current of electrons delivered to sample 180 can range from 10 pA to 1 μA (eg, from 100 pA to 100 nA, from 1 nA to 10 nA).

In certain embodiments, m is 10 nm or greater (eg, 25 nm or greater, 50 nm or greater, 75 nm or greater, 100 nm or greater), and/or 500 nm or less (eg, 400 nm or less). , 300 nm or less, 200 nm). For example, m is from 10 nm to 500 nm (for example, from 25 nm to 500 nm, from 50 nm to 500 nm, from 75 nm to 400 nm, from 100 nm to 400 nm).

In some embodiments, multiple flow guns can be used. For example, in some embodiments, different flow guns can be used to expose different portions of surface 181 of sample 180 to electrons. In some embodiments, each flow gun can be used The same portion of surface 181 is exposed to electrons. Different flow guns can be operated at different times, as desired. For example, one or more lances can be used to expose surface 181 to electrons and then expose surface 181 to erbium ions (eg, to form a subsurface charge layer), while also exposing surface 181 to erbium ions. One or more different lances are used to expose surface 181 to the electrons. In some embodiments, all of the flow guns can be used to expose surface 181 to electrons and then expose surface 181 to the erbium ions (eg, to form a subsurface charge layer), and in some embodiments, All of the lances can also be used to expose surface 181 to electrons while surface 181 is exposed to strontium ions. Other combinations are also possible.

Although specific embodiments have been described in which a flow gun can be used to achieve surface charge neutralization, collector electrodes can also be used to collect the injected secondary electrons and return them to the surface of the sample to reduce the net positive charge on the surface to the surface. The charge is neutralized. Referring to Figure 24, collector electrode 852 is coupled to sample 180 via conductor 854. When the sample 180 is exposed to the helium ion beam 192, secondary electrons (represented by arrow 856) ejected from the surface 181 of the sample 180 are incident on the collector electrode 852. Electrons 856 are then transferred back to surface 181 via conductor 854 to reduce the positive charge on surface 181. Additional collector electrode 852 can be coupled to sample 180 to provide further surface charge neutralization.

In some embodiments, one or more collector electrodes can be used in combination with one or more lances. For example, one or more lances can be used to expose surface 181 of sample 180 to electrons, then expose surface 181 to cerium ions (eg, to form a subsurface charge layer), and while surface 181 is exposed to cerium ions One or more collector electrodes can be used to neutralize the charge on surface 181. Other combinations can also be used.

In some embodiments, the flow gun 840 can be configured to deliver a very low energy electron beam 842 to the sample 180. For example, electrons in electron beam 842 can have an average energy of about 50 eV or less. Low energy electrons have low drop energy and this limit can be the amount of negative charge accumulated on surface 181. For example, if the average electron energy in electron beam 842 is 50 eV, once sample 180 is charged to a potential of -50 V with respect to common ground, the electrons from self-flow gun 840 no longer land on the surface of the sample. Thus, by adjusting the energy of the low energy electrons of the self-propelled gun 840, the maximum cumulative negative charge on the surface 181 of the sample 180 can be controlled. This method can be used to image a non-conductive material without depositing a layer of conductive material on top of the non-conductive material to prevent charging of the non-conductive material. Figure 25 shows an example of this method. Ion beam 192 is incident on surface 181 of sample 180, which is a relatively low conductivity dielectric material (e.g., sample 180 is not metal). Sample 180 is supported by sample manipulator 140 that is biased at a potential of -600V with respect to the common external ground of microscope system 200. The potential applied to the manipulator 140 establishes an electric field on the surface 181 of the sample 180. The flow gun 840 is configured to deliver an electron beam comprising electrons having an average energy of 500 eV to a surface 181 near the impinging ion beam 192. Initially, the electric field on the surface 181 due to the bias applied to the manipulator 140 causes the electrons of the self-propelled gun 840 to deflect along the track (e.g., 843a and 843b), i.e., electrons do not land on the surface 181. However, as positive charges accumulate on surface 181 due to incident erbium ions, sample 180 becomes positively charged, thereby reducing the electric field strength experienced by electrons from self-propelled gun 840. When the charge on the surface 181 of the sample 180 accumulates on the surface with an effective bias relative to a common ground reaching a point of -500V, electrons from the blast gun 840 can land on the surface 181 and neutralize thereon, such as 843c. The positive charge of the orbit. Thus, by controlling the bias applied to the manipulator 140 and the energy of the electrons delivered by the lance 840, positive charge accumulation on the sample 180 can be controlled. The sample 180, a non-conductive material, can be imaged without accumulating surface charges, which may additionally result in undesirable image contrast due to voltage contrast effects caused by surface charges. An image of the non-conductive and semiconducting material can be obtained without depositing a layer of conductive material on the sample as a charge dissipation layer.

In some embodiments, the flow gun 840 can be configured to deliver electrons to the sample 180, the electrons having a negative drop energy, ie, not falling on the surface 181 at all, in the absence of a positive charge on the surface of the sample. electronic. When the sample 180 acquires a surface charge due to incident erbium ions, electrons from the lance 840 begin to land on the surface 181, thereby neutralizing the positive charge. Therefore, the surface 181 of the sample 180 is maintained in a near uncharged state.

In some embodiments, a conversion surface can be used to generate secondary electrons, which can then be used to neutralize positive charges accumulated on surface 181 of sample 180. For example, a conversion surface formed by using a material having a high secondary electron yield (eg, platinum) can be fixed close to the sample 180. The high energy helium ions and/or neutral atoms leaving the sample 180 can impact the conversion surface, producing secondary electrons. The generated secondary electrons experience an absorption force due to the accumulated positive surface charge on the sample 180. Therefore, secondary electrons land on the surface of the sample, thereby neutralizing the positive charge and reducing the electric field due to the surface charge. Therefore, when there is a large accumulation of surface positive charges, the secondary electrons are more strongly absorbed on the surface 181 of the sample 180. This provides a self-regulating mechanism for reducing surface charge.

In some embodiments, the conversion plate can be mounted directly from One element of sub-optical 130 is to provide secondary electrons for surface charge neutralization of sample 180. For example, in FIG. 26, the conversion plate 845 is attached to the surface of the second lens 226. The electrons 842 of the self-propelled gun 840 are directed to be incident on a conversion plate formed using a material having a high secondary electron yield. The helium ion beam 192 is incident on the surface 181 of the sample 180, and over time, positive charges accumulate on the surface 181 in the region where the ion beam 192 is incident. The secondary electrons 847 generated from the conversion plate 845 are adsorbed on the surface region having excessive positive charges and landed on such regions, thereby neutralizing excessive positive charges. Once the excessive surface charge is removed, additional secondary electrons do not land on surface 181. Therefore, the surface 181 can be maintained in a quasi-neutral state.

In general, the flow gun 840 can be configured for continuous or intermittent operation. In particular, the flow gun 840 can be turned on and off at a desired rate during intermittent operation. For example, in some embodiments, the lance 840 can be turned on and off to provide charge neutralization of the sample 180 at a pixel exposure rate. Ion beam 192 can be raster scanned across the surface of sample 180 in discrete steps to expose successive portions of the sample surface. After exposing each portion, the flow gun 840 can be used to neutralize the surface charge in the exposed area. This corresponds to charge neutralization using pixel exposure rates. Alternatively or additionally, the flow gun 840 can be used to employ a line scan rate (eg, after the entire line of discrete portions of the sample 180 has been exposed to the ion beam 192), and/or frame rate (eg, where the sample 180 has been discrete) Part of the entire two-dimensional area is exposed to the ion beam 192) to perform neutralization.

In some embodiments, the flow gun 840 can be used to improve the ease of detection of secondary electrons from the sample 180. For example, the flow gun 840 can be used to embed a charge layer (e.g., charge layer 846) within a bulk region of the sample 180. Negative charge The embedded layer induces an electric field on surface 181 of sample 180. The secondary electrons leaving the sample 180 due to the mutual use of the sample 180 and the incident ion beam 192 are accelerated away from the sample 180 by the electric field established by the charge layer 846, thereby detecting the second time by a suitably configured detector. Electronics are relatively easy.

27A and 27B schematically show an example of the use of an embedded layer of negative charge. In FIG. 27A, ion beam 192 is incident on surface 181 of sample 180. A plurality of secondary electrons 2012 are generated within a few nanometers before the sample 180. First, many secondary electrons escape as Free Electronics 2014, which can be detected by a properly configured detector. However, over time, incident erbium ions are implanted into the sample 180, thereby forming a positively charged layer 2010 within the sample 180. As the net positive charge in layer 2010 increases, secondary electrons 2012 are continuously absorbed into layer 2010, and fewer and fewer secondary electrons 2012 escape from sample 180 to become free electrons 2014. Therefore, imaging the sample 180 through the detection of secondary electrons may continue to become difficult.

Figure 27B shows the solution to this problem. In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIG. 27B, a flow gun 840 (not shown) is used to embed a negative charge layer 2016 (eg, electrons) within the sample 180. The embedded negative charge layer is similar to layer 846 in FIG. Because of the layer 2016, the secondary electrons 2012 generated in the sample 180 are accelerated away from the sample 180, resulting in an increase in the number of secondary electrons 2014 that escape the sample 180, and thus enhancing the detection of secondary electronic signals from the sample. . Layer 2016 effectively acts as an electrostatic mirror for secondary electrons, thereby enhancing its detection capability.

In general, the flow gun 840 can be used to implant electrons into the same, then analyze the sample, and/or the flow gun 840 can be used to implant electrons into the sample while imaging the same. In some embodiments, the sample can be pressed The electrons of the self-flowing gun 840 are exposed at intervals (e.g., regular intervals). This can, for example, assist in maintaining a relatively consistent charge level. For example, the sample may be exposed to electrons from the self-propelled gun 840 during a time period corresponding to a dwell time per pixel (eg, 100 ns).

(iii) Vibration decoupling

Mechanical vibrations due to vacuum pumps, various moving parts, and background sound disturbances can affect certain performance parameters of the gas field ion microscope system 200 (eg, imaging resolution, ion beam spot size, stability in sample 180). In some embodiments, sample manipulator 140 can be configured to decouple sample 180 from other parts of system 200 to reduce the effects of external mechanical disturbances. 28 shows a vibration decoupling sample manipulator 140 that includes a guide pin 906 supported by a driver 908 with needle 906 and driver 908 positioned within stage 904, respectively. A support disc 902 is secured atop the table 904 and a friction tripod 900 supporting the sample 180 is placed atop the disc 902.

To move the sample 180 in the x-y plane, the driver 908 receives the appropriate signal from the electronic control system 170 and drives the pin 906. The guide pin 906 gently pushes the sample 180 and/or the tripod 900 to cause a shift in the x-y plane in response to the signal from the driver 908.

The width j of the guide pin 906 at its apex is typically chosen to be slightly smaller than the diameter b of the aperture 910 in the tripod 900. For example, j can be 1 mm and b can be 1.1 mm. In addition, the tripod 900 and the disk 902 are selected such that the static friction between the disk 902 and the tripod 900 is greater, but can be overcome by the force applied by the driver 908 through the guide pin 906 to the sample 180. The guide pin 906 is formed using a mechanically compliant material that can be deformed under applied stress conditions. The vibration is reduced to the transmission of the sample 180, but is hard enough to send the force applied by the driver 908 to the sample 180.

Because of these system parameters, the mechanical vibrations coupled into the stage 904 can be partially absorbed and dissipated by the guide pins 906 so that there is little or no vibration of the tripod 900. Additionally, if the guide pin 906 does not apply a force to the tripod 900, the guide pin 906 will preferably slide over the side of the tripod 900 rather than causing vibration of the tripod 900.

In some embodiments, the guide pin 906 can have a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. The rectangular cross-sectional shape can assist in ensuring that rotation of the sample 180 and/or the tripod 900 does not occur with the transfer of the tripod 900 in the x- and/or y-direction by the guide pins 906. If the sample manipulator 140 is tilted for the axis 132 of the ion optics 130 (e.g., such that the ion beam 192 is incident on the sample 180 at a non-perpendicular angle), the material used to form the tripod 900 and/or disk 902 can be selected so that Higher static friction between these elements occurs. Alternatively or additionally, in some embodiments, the tripod 900 and the disk 902 can be magnetically coupled to increase the friction between the elements. Magnetic field coupling can be carefully implemented to ensure that the magnetic field is localized and does not interfere with the sample 180 or strike the ion beam 192.

The guide pin 906 can be completely disengaged from the tripod 900 when the guide pin 906 is not being driven. For example, after the guide pin 906 has applied a force to the tripod 900 to transfer the tripod 900 and the sample 180 in the xy plane, a smaller rebound motion of the guide pin 906 can be initiated by the electronic control system 170. The space between the needle 906 and the tripod 900. Therefore, the guide pin 906 is completely disengaged from the tripod 900, and the mechanical vibration is prevented from being coupled to the tripod 900 via the guide pin 906.

Figure 29 depicts a sample holder assembly for a microscope system 1510. The sample holder assembly 1510 reduces the use of the axle and helps to reduce low frequency mechanical vibrations in the sample during operation. The fitting 1510 includes a body 1511 having an opening 1512 for insertion into the same. The body 1511 is coupled to the arm 1518 via an adjustable connector 1522. The arm 1518 supports the sample stage 1514 using a clamp 1520. The sample stage 1514 includes a surface disk 1516 having an aperture 1524.

The fitting 1510 can be coupled to an ion microscope such that the tip 186 is directed toward the aperture 1524 on the sample stage 1514. The body 1511 can be formed from a suitable rigid material such as hardened steel, stainless steel, phosphor bronze, and titanium. The body 1511 can be sized and shaped to suit the particular needs of the application. For example, the size and shape of the body 1511 can be selected for use in the microscope system disclosed herein. The sample can be introduced into the fitting 1510 through the opening 1512 during operation.

The sample stage 1514 is supported by an arm 1518 that is coupled to the body 1511 along an adjustable connector 1522. The adjustable connector 1522 allows the arm 1518 to move vertically. The arm 1518 and the sample stage 1514 can be moved in a vertical direction and locked in a specific position. The connector 1522 can be controlled pneumatically or vacuumically so that the arms 1518 and the table 1514 can be tightly locked in the desired vertical position. Connector 1522 can optionally include other types of connectors.

The sample stage 1514 is coupled to the arm 1518 using a clamp 1520. The arm 1518 can have a shaft that extends inwardly so that the clamp 1520 of the sample stage 1514 can hold the shaft. The clamp 1520 can be operated pneumatically or in a vacuum so that the table 1514 can be tilted. The clamp 1520 can be controlled to tilt the stage 1514 to the desired position. In some embodiments, the clamp 1520 can be tightened to lock the sample stage 1514 tightly in the desired tilt position after the desired position has been reached.

The sample stage 1514 further includes a surface disk 1516 having an opening 1524. The sample can be placed on the disk 1516 and can be introduced through the opening 1524 into the sample position control system to move the sample on the plane of the disk 1516. In some embodiments, the disk 1516 can be rotated about its center to rotate and move the sample positioned on the surface of the disk as needed. Disc 1516 can be formed from a suitably rigid material comprising ceramic, glass, and polymer.

Figure 30 depicts the same holder assembly for a microscope system. The sample holder assembly of Figure 30 is similar to the sample holder assembly of Figure 29 in which a tripod 1600 is placed on the surface of the disk 1516. The tripod 1600 can have a bracket that can be secured to the top of the opening 1524. As desired, the tripod 1600 can have an opening in one portion of the surface. The tripod 1600 can be formed from a suitably rigid material comprising ceramic, glass, and polymer.

During operation of the microscope system 200, the sample 180 can be moved, tilted, transferred in the x-y plane, and rotated in the z-direction. If the sample 180 is tilted and the tilt angle (eg, the angle between the ion beam 192 and the normal to the surface of the sample 180) is relatively large, the tilted sample may not be focused throughout the field of view of the microscope system 200. Thus, the image of the sample obtained under these conditions may not be focused and blurred in areas outside the center and perpendicular to the tilt axis.

When the ion beam 192 is scanned over the surface of the sample 180, these conditions are compensated by varying the focal length of the lens 226. To perform this correction, sample manipulator 140 may send tilt angle information for sample 180 to electronic control system 170. Alternatively, the tilt angle information can be manually entered by the system operator via the user interface. The electronic control system 170 can determine a set of electricity based on the positioning of the sample 180. Pressure correction is applied to the second lens 226 to dynamically change the focal length of the lens 226 as the ion beam 192 is scanned over the surface of the tilted sample 180.

In addition, the lateral dimension of the oblique sample is distorted due to the protrusion of the oblique sample on the planar surface and due to the difference in distance from the ion optics 130. For example, due to the positioning of the sample 180 for the ion beam 192, the lateral dimension of the oblique sample surface may appear to be shorter than it actually is. Another example is the focus distortion of the image. The effect is that the rectangular features are distorted, so the image of the rectangle appears to be the focus of its shape.

When scanning the ion beam 192 on the surface of the sample 180, this can be compensated by adjusting the scan size of the scanning deflectors 219 and 221. To perform this correction, electronic control system 170 can obtain information regarding the tilt angle for sample 180 in the same manner as explained above. The electronic control system 170 can determine the adjustment of the scan size applied to the scan deflectors 219 and 221 based on the tilt of the sample 180 to adapt the ion beam deflection when scanning the ion beam 192 on the surface of the tilted sample 180, thereby obtaining the tilt sample 180. Undistorted image of the surface. Alternatively, these two distortion effects can be corrected by digital manipulation of the distorted image.

(iv) Reducing the presence of neutral particles and double charged ions in the ion beam

As explained above, neutral particles (e.g., germanium atoms) can enter ion optics 130 of microscope system 200 as non-ionized neutral atoms from gas field ion source 120. Such neutral particles can adversely affect the performance of the microscope system. Therefore, in certain embodiments, it is desirable to reduce the occurrence of neutral particles in the ion beam 192. It is also possible to generate double charged erbium ions (e.g., He ²⁺ ) in the gas field ion source 120 via the double ionization of germanium atoms near the tip 186 or by collisions between the helium ions. The focusing characteristics of double charged helium ions are different from the focusing characteristics of a single charged ion, and double charged ions present in ion beam 192 can result in larger spot sizes and other undesirable effects on sample 180.

One method of reducing the total number of neutral particles in ion beam 192 involves reducing the likelihood that neutral particles will enter the ion beam. This method can include, for example, guided gas delivery (see above) for tip 186 to reduce the overall occurrence of non-ionized helium gas atoms in microscope system 200.

Another method of reducing the total number of neutral particles in ion beam 192 involves removing neutral particles from the ion beam after the neutral particle system is present in ion beam 192. This method can include the use of electrostatic lens elements for deflecting ions to spatially separate ions and neutral particles in ion optics 130. For example, FIG. 31 shows ion optics 130 in which deflector 220 is offset from longitudinal axis 132 of ion optics 130 and in which an additional deflector 223 is placed. The helium ion beam 192 contains helium ions 192a and helium atoms 192b. To separate the erbium ions 192a from the erbium atoms 192b, the potential applied to the deflector 223 is adjusted to cause deflection of the erbium ions 192a in the x-direction. The germanium atom 192b is unaffected by the deflector 223 and therefore does not deflect. The helium atom 192b is then intercepted by the collector 1016, which prevents the helium atom 192b from passing through the aperture 224. The potential applied to deflectors 220 and 222 is also adjusted to realign the track of helium ions 192a with longitudinal axis 132, and a portion of helium ions 192a passes through aperture 224 and is incident on surface 181 of sample 180 as ion beam 192. .

Other techniques can also be used to remove neutral particles from the ion beam. In general, such techniques involve the use of an electric field/or magnetic field to deflect the ion beam Without deflecting neutral particles. In some embodiments, the combination of electric and magnetic fields can be used to compensate for the energy dependent spatial separation of ions produced by ion deflection in ion optics 130. In addition, various asymmetric ion row geometries (eg, curved ion rows) can be used to separate germanium atoms and ions.

For example, in Figure 32, the curved row configuration of ion optics 130 can be used to separate germanium atoms, single charged helium ions, and double charged helium ions. The ion beam 192 enters the ion optics 130 to propagate in a direction that is oblique to the axis 132 of the ion optics 130. The ion beam 192 includes a neutral germanium atom, a He ⁺ ion, and a He ²⁺ ion. A potential is applied to the deflector 223 to deflect the He ⁺ ions in the ion beam 192 so that after passing through the deflector 223, He ⁺ ions propagate along the axis 132 as an ion beam 192a. However, the neutral atoms are not deflected after passing through the deflector 223. The neutral atom is thus spatially separated from the He ⁺ ions, thereby providing a neutral atomic beam 192b taken by the collector 1016b. The ion He ^{2+ is} deflected to a greater extent than the He ⁺ ion to spatially separate the single and double charged ions and provide an ion beam 192c of He ²⁺ ions. The He ²⁺ ion beam 192c is intercepted by the collector 1016c. Therefore, the ion beam 192a emerging from the ion optics 130 contains substantially only He ⁺ ions.

Figure 33 shows another embodiment of an ion optical system for separating helium atoms, He ⁺ ions, and He ²⁺ ions. The ion optical system shown in Fig. 33 includes an electric field and a magnetic field without a dispersion sequence, which are used to isolate a helium atom, a He ⁺ ion, and a He ²⁺ ion from each other and contribute a sickle effect to the particle beam. The ion optical system includes a series of three deflectors 223a, 223b, and 223c configured to deflect and direct He ⁺ ions through ion optics 130 such that ion beam 192a that substantially only contains He ⁺ ions emerges from ion optics 130. The neutral atom beam 192b is not deflected and is intercepted by the collector 1016b at the position behind each deflector. The double charged erbium ions are further deflected than the He ⁺ ions, and the plurality of He ²⁺ ion beams 192c are intercepted by the collector 1016c. Thus, the helium atoms, He ⁺ ions, and He ²⁺ ion systems are spatially separated from each other, and the He ⁺ ion system is directed to the sample 180 as the ion beam 192, and the undesirable ion beam components are blocked in the ion optics 130.

In some embodiments, the use of a magnetic field can result in a spatial separation of ions having the same charge in ion beam 192, but corresponding to ions of different isotopes of the gas introduced by gas source 110. For certain gases (e.g., helium) that have an inherently occurring isotope (e.g., greater than 90% relative abundance), the separation effect due to the magnetic field is typically small. However, for other gases having two or more naturally occurring isotopes and lacking a dominant isotope, such effects can be large. Thus, in certain embodiments, an isotope separator (e.g., a block for preventing undesirable isotopes from spanning the length of ion optics 130) can be used. In some embodiments, the collector 1016 for blocking neutral atoms or double charged ions can also be used to block unwanted isotopes in the ion beam 192.

Type of particle

The interaction of the ion beam with the sample can cause different types of particles to exit the surface through various interactions as explained below. Such particles include secondary electrons, oujie electrons, scattered ions, primary neutral particles, X-ray photons, IR photons, visible light, UV photons, secondary ions, and secondary neutral particles. One or more types of particles can be detected and analyzed to determine information about one or more types of samples. This type of information about the sample contains information about the surface of the sample. Topographic information, information on material composition on the surface of the sample, information on material composition of the subsurface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage contrast information on the surface of the sample, and voltage contrast information on the subsurface area of the sample , magnetic information about the sample, and optical information about the sample. The term surface of the sample as used herein refers to an integral of up to a depth of 5 nm or less.

A. Secondary electrons

The secondary electron system used herein is an electron emitted from the same species and having an energy of less than 50 eV. In general, secondary electrons are emitted from the surface of the sample with a range of angles and energy. However, the most important information is usually the total abundance of secondary electrons (as opposed to energy decomposition secondary electron information or angular decomposition of secondary electron information), because, as explained below, the total abundance of secondary electrons can provide Information on the surface of the sample.

Secondary electrons can be detected using one or more suitable detectors capable of detecting electrons (see above for a description of the type of detector). If multiple detectors are used, they can all be the same type of detector (or different types of detectors can be used) and can be configured as needed. The detector can be configured to detect surface 181 (the surface impinged by the ion beam) leaving sample 180, surface 183 of sample 180 (the surface on the opposite side of the surface against which the ion beam strikes), or both (see above for the detector) The description of the configuration of the secondary electrons.

The detected secondary electronic signal can be used to form an image of the sample. In general, the ion beam is raster scanned within the field of view of the surface of the sample, and the secondary electronic signal (which corresponds to individual pixels in the image) in each raster step is measured by one or more detectors. In general, each detector is held in a fixed position relative to the sample while raster scanning the ion beam within the field of view of the surface of the sample. At the office. However, in some embodiments, one or more detectors can be moved relative to the sample. For example, if a single detector is used, angle dependent information about the sample can be generated relative to the sample motion detector.

In some embodiments, detecting the total abundance of secondary electrons can provide information about the topography of the sample. The total abundance of secondary electrons at a given location on the surface generally depends on the slope of the surface relative to the ion beam at that point. In general, the total abundance of secondary electrons is higher in the case where the slope of the surface relative to the ion beam is higher (ie, in the case where the angle of incidence of the ion beam as measured from the surface normal is large) high. Thus, changes in the total abundance of secondary electrons as a function of the position of the ion beam on the surface of the sample can be correlated with changes in the slope of the surface to provide information about the topography of the surface of the sample.

In some embodiments, detecting the total abundance of secondary electrons can produce information about the material composition of the sample (eg, elemental information, chemical environmental information). In such embodiments, the information system is primarily related to the surface of the sample. In general, each element or material in a given chemical environment will have a specific intrinsic secondary electron yield. Thus, the total abundance of secondary electrons at a given location on the surface generally depends on the material present at that location. Thus, changes in the total abundance of secondary electrons as a function of the position of the ion beam on the surface of the sample can be correlated with changes in the elements and/or materials present on the surface of the sample to provide information about the sample. Information on the material composition of the surface. In some embodiments, a particular material in a sample can be identified based on a measure of the amount of secondary electron yield from the sample. For example, materials such as Al, Si, Ti, Fe, Ni, Pt, and Au have known secondary electron yields when exposed to a helium ion beam under controlled conditions. Ion calibration can be calibrated based on known secondary electron yields for various materials Micromirrors (such as gas field ion microscopes) to identify the presence and relative abundance of various materials in the sample under study. For example, Table I shows secondary electron yields for various materials. These yields were measured with the normal ion energy of 21 keV in the case of normal incidence of the erbium ion beam. For example, in the case of a non-normal incidence angle, the yields shown in Table I are typically scaled by a multiplication factor that corresponds to the tangent to the angle of incidence of the ion beam on the surface of the sample. Other experimental conditions are illustrated in the corresponding examples below.

In some embodiments, detecting the total abundance of secondary electrons can produce voltage contrast information that in turn can provide information about conductivity characteristics and/or potential of the component and/or material on the surface of the sample. Surface of the sample The total abundance of secondary electrons at a given location generally depends on the electrical properties of the material present on the surface of the sample. In general, less conductive material will tend to become positively charged over time as it is exposed to the ion beam over time, while more conductive material will not tend to become exposed over time while exposed to the ion beam. Positively charged. Thus, for example, the total abundance of secondary electrons at a given location on the surface of a sample will tend to decrease over time due to the absence of conductivity (more surface charge due to less secondary electrons fleeing the sample) At the same time, the total abundance of secondary electrons at a given location on the surface of a more electrically conductive sample will tend to experience a small decrease in the total abundance of secondary electrons over time (due to less surface charge). Thus, changes in the total abundance of secondary electrons as a function of ion beam position on the surface of the sample can be correlated to the conductivity of the material at that location, providing voltage contrast information about the surface of the sample.

The subsurface voltage contrast effect can be provided by becoming a helium ion embedded in the subsurface region of the sample. As explained in connection with Figures 27A and 27B, the secondary surface helium ions can prevent secondary electrons generated in the sample from escaping the surface of the sample. Thus, the contrast in the secondary electron image of the sample may be due to the subsurface charge of the sample provided by the incident erbium ions.

The information provided by such techniques can be used for ion beam testing of semiconductor particles. For example, voltage contrast measurements can be used to determine whether portions of the electrical device and/or circuit are at different potentials when exposed to the ion beam due to the presence or absence of electrical connections between the portions, and thus the devices and / or whether the circuit is operating correctly.

In some embodiments, detecting the total abundance of secondary electrons can provide information about the crystallization of the sample. The total abundance of secondary electrons can be based on ions Whether the beam is aligned with the crystal structure of the sample (e.g., aligned parallel to one of the unit vectors describing the crystal lattice) varies. If the ion beam system is aligned with the crystal structure of the sample, the ions in the ion beam can generally penetrate into the sample to a given distance without experiencing collisions with the sample atoms (collectively referred to as channels). Produces a lower total abundance of secondary electrons. On the other hand, if the ion beam is not aligned with the crystal structure, the ions in the ion beam will have a lower probability of penetrating into the sample to reach the given distance without experiencing collisions with the sample atoms, thereby producing secondary electrons. Higher total abundance. Thus, the total abundance of secondary electrons as a function of ion beam position on the surface of the sample can be correlated with the crystallization information of the material at that location. For example, there may be regions of the surface of the sample where the total abundance of secondary electrons is substantially the same. Such regions may, for example, have the same crystal orientation, and the size of the regions may provide information on grain size and/or crystal size (eg, in polycrystalline samples comprising multiple directed crystalline ranges), and/or may provide The information of the sample (amorphous or crystalline sample) is affected by the region, because for a given chemical composition (such as elemental composition, material composition), the total abundance of secondary electrons may depend on the compressive force of the material. .

In some embodiments, detecting the total abundance of secondary electrons can provide magnetic information about the sample. The total abundance of secondary electrons may depend on the magnitude of the magnetic field adjacent to the surface of the sample. For example, in some embodiments, the magnetic field adjacent to the surface of the sample varies due to magnetic domains within the sample that produce a local magnetic field on the surface of the sample. In some embodiments, the static magnetic field is applied by an external magnetic field source, and the magnetic domains within the sample create a local magnetic field on the surface of the sample that introduces variations in the applied external magnetic field. In either case, variations in the local magnetic field on the surface of the sample can, for example, change from the sample injection The secondary electron orbit. The change in the secondary electron orbit when changing the orbit of the secondary electron may correspond to an increase in the total abundance of the secondary electrons in order to direct more secondary electrons to the detector, or when changing the orbit of the secondary electron The change in secondary electron orbital may correspond to a reduction in the total abundance of secondary electrons in order to direct more secondary electrons away from the detector.

For some examples, the contrast appearing in the secondary electronic image of the sample can be caused by two or more mechanisms as explained above. In other words, secondary electron images of certain samples may include, in part, changes in topography in the surface of the sample, variations in material composition in the surface of the sample, changes in voltage contrast in the surface of the sample, crystallization variations in the surface of the sample, and/or surface of the sample. Contrast caused by magnetic changes in . Therefore, it may be advantageous to combine information obtained from measuring the total abundance of secondary electrons with information obtained from measuring other types of particles to isolate the contribution of one or more mechanisms from such mechanisms in terms of quality and/or quantity. . This feasibility is explained in more detail below.

Secondary electron imaging technology can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. One example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor article (eg, a patterned wafer) that can include, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. Secondary electron imaging techniques can be used to identify defects in the device, such as incomplete electrical connections between conductors, and/or electrical shorts between circuit components. More generally, secondary electron imaging techniques can be used in a wide range of ion beam testing applications for semiconductor articles. This method can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed.

Another example of a sample class in which secondary electron imaging techniques can be used is metals and alloys. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material such as an alloy It can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample class in which secondary electron imaging techniques can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. Additional examples of categories of materials in which secondary electron imaging techniques can be used are biological materials and medical materials.

The use of an imaging sample of secondary electrons generated by exposure to a helium ion beam can provide several advantages over secondary electron imaging via other techniques, such as SEM. For example, the spot size of the helium ion beam on the sample can be smaller than the spot size of the electron beam from the SEM. Due to the smaller spot size, the area of the sample exposed to the helium ion beam is more carefully controlled than the exposed area in the SEM.

Further, in general, since the cerium ion is heavier than the electron, the scattering event does not easily disperse the cerium ion in the sample as the electrons are dispersed by scattering. Thus, in a smaller interaction volume than the electrons in the SEM, the erbium ions incident on the surface of the sample can interact with the sample. Therefore, secondary electrons detected in a gas field ion microscope (for example, a helium ion microscope) can be derived from a region smaller than a region causing secondary electrons in an SEM having a similar spot size. Thus, the secondary electrons generated by the helium ion beam can correspond to a more localized query of the surface of the sample (eg, having a smaller lateral average of material features) than the secondary electrons produced in the SEM.

In addition, the helium ion source also provides a greater depth of focus than the electron source. Thus, an image obtained using an ion microscope (eg, a gas field ion microscope) can display a larger portion of the sample, which is perpendicular to the sample, compared to a comparable image obtained from secondary electrons in the SEM. The direction of the surface is measured and in focus.

Compared with when the secondary electrons leave the surface due to the interaction of the electron beam with the sample, when the secondary electrons leave the sample due to the interaction of the ion beam with the sample, due to the larger range of two for different materials The secondary electron yield, so the helium ion beam can also provide a more sensitive contrast mechanism for the secondary electron image of the sample. For example, in general, for an incident electron beam, the secondary electron yield for a common material (eg, semiconductor and metal) varies from 0.5 to 2.5. However, the secondary electron yield for the same material exposed to the helium ion beam can vary from 0.5 to 8. Thus, using a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope), the identification of different materials from secondary electron images can be performed more accurately than in comparable SEM systems.

B. Oujie Electronics

The electrons used in this article are electrons produced as follows. An inner shell atomic electron is removed to form a hole, and then the hole is filled by the release of energy from the second atomic electron of the higher shell. This energy is released via another electron called the Oujie electron. In general, Oujie Electronics is emitted from a range of angles and energy from the surface of the sample. However, the most important information is usually the energy of Oujie Electronics (as opposed to the angular decomposition of Oujie Electronics), because as explained below, the energy of Oujie Electronics can provide information about the surface of the sample. One or more suitable detectors capable of detecting electrons using energy decomposition can be used to detect the Electronics (see above for a description of the type of detector). If multiple detectors are used, they can all be the same type of detector (or different types of detectors can be used) and can be configured as needed. The detector can be configured to detect surface 181 (the surface impinged by the ion beam) leaving sample 180, surface 183 of sample 180 (the surface on the opposite side of the surface against which the ion beam strikes), or both (see above) The description of the configuration of the detector is based on the Oujie Electronics. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the detected Auger Electronics, it may be necessary to use a detector that collects the relatively large solid angle of the Auger Electronics. Alternatively or additionally, electron collection optics (e.g., electrostatic lens systems) that are adjacent to the surface of the sample and that direct electrons to the detector can be used (e.g., to increase the effective detection of solid angles for the Auger electronics).

In general, detecting the energy of Oujie Electronics can generate information about the material composition of the sample (eg element information, chemical environment information). In such embodiments, the information system is primarily related to the surface of the sample. In general, for each element or material in a given chemical environment, the electrons emitted by the element or material will have a specific energy or energy band. Thus, the energy of the Auger electron at a given location on the surface generally depends on the material present at that location. Thus, changes in the energy of the Auger electrons as a function of the position of the ion beam on the surface of the sample can be correlated with changes in the elements and/or materials present on the surface of the sample to provide information about the surface of the sample. Material component information.

Oujie electronic imaging technology can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. One example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor article (eg, a patterned wafer) that can include, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. This method can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed. Another example of a sample class that can be used by Oujie electronic imaging technology is metals and alloys. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material (eg, an alloy) can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample category in which Auger's electronic imaging technology can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. An additional category of materials that can be used by OU Jie Electronic Imaging Technology Examples are biomaterials and medical materials.

The use of imaging samples of Oujie Electronics that leave the surface due to the interaction of the sample with the helium ion beam can provide several advantages over Oujie electronic imaging via other techniques, such as SEM. For example, the spot size of the helium ion beam on the sample can be smaller than the spot size of the electron beam from the SEM. Due to the smaller spot size, the area of the sample exposed to the helium ion beam is more carefully controlled than the exposed area in the SEM.

Further, in general, since the cerium ion is heavier than the electron, the scattering event does not easily disperse the cerium ion in the sample as the electrons are dispersed by scattering. Thus, in a smaller interaction volume than the electrons in the SEM, the erbium ions incident on the surface of the sample can interact with the sample. Therefore, the Oujie electrons detected in a gas field ion microscope (for example, a helium ion microscope) can be made smaller than the region that causes the region of the Auger electron in an SEM having a similar spot size. Thus, compared to the oujie electrons produced in the SEM, the oujie electrons leaving the surface due to the interaction of the sample with the erbium ion beam can correspond to a more localized query of the surface of the sample (eg, having a smaller material property) Horizontal average).

In addition, the helium ion source also provides a greater depth of focus than the electron source. Thus, an image obtained using an ion microscope (eg, a gas field ion microscope) can display a larger portion of the sample, perpendicular to the sample surface, as compared to a comparable image obtained from OU Jie Electronics in the SEM. The direction is measured and in focus.

Another advantage of using an ion beam opposite to the electron beam for the detection of the electron beam is to detect the electrons on the baseline of the backscattered electrons when using the ion beam; and to use the ion beam, backscattering Electronics will not appear. because Thus, while collecting a relatively small number of Oujie Electronics, a relatively high signal-to-noise ratio of the detected Oujie Electronics can be obtained, which can reduce the relatively better quality obtained from the sample when the ion beam is used. The amount of time spent on the Auger electron spectrum.

C. Scattering ions

While maintaining an ion (e.g., a helium ion), the scattered ions used herein are produced when an ion (e.g., a helium ion) from the ion beam interacts with the sample. Since a scattering ion can travel from the same subsurface region to the surface of the sample and then the probability of emission from the sample is very low, the scattered ions generally provide information about the surface of the sample. As explained in more detail below, when detecting scattered ions, the particular configuration of the detector generally depends on the type of information that needs to be obtained.

In some embodiments, topographical information about the same surface can be obtained via the detected scattered ions. Figure 34A generally depicts one embodiment of a method for detecting scattered ions from different regions of a surface to determine topographical information about the surface of the same surface. In particular, Figure 34A shows the same book 7010 having regions 7012, 7014, and 7016 having surfaces 7013, 7015, and 7017, respectively. When the ion beam is incident perpendicularly above, the scattering patterns 7020, 7030, and 7040 represent the angular distribution of ions scattered from the surfaces 7013, 7015, and 7017, respectively. As shown in FIG. 34A, each of the scattering patterns 7020, 7030, and 7040 is a cosine-type distribution. Figure 34B depicts the contributions of the relative intensities 7042 and 7052 (dashed and dotted lines, respectively) of the scattered ions detected by the detectors 7041 and 7050, respectively. Thus, for example, assuming that the sample 7010 is formed of the same material over its entire surface, the relative total abundance of the detectors 7041 and 7050 The degree profile can be used to determine the topography of the sample 7010. Alternatively, assuming that the topography of the sample 7010 is known, the contribution to the total abundance of the detected scattered ions due to the topography (relative strengths 7042 and 7052) can be removed from the total abundance of the detected scattered ions. The contribution to the total detected scattered ions due to other effects, such as varying materials across the surface of sample 7010, is determined. Although the detector can be fixed to the surface as needed, in some embodiments, for the detector system of the type shown in Figure 34A, topographic information is obtained from the erbium ions scattered at larger scattering angles. . For example, in some embodiments, by detecting 60° or greater (eg, 65° or greater, 70° or greater, 75° or greater) relative to the direction of the ion beam The scattered ions at an angle determine the topographical information of the self-scattering ions. Although FIG. 34A depicts the use of two detectors, in some embodiments a single detector (eg, detector 7041 or detector 7050) is used. Or in some embodiments, more than two (eg, three, four, five, six, seven, eight) detectors can be used. In general, when multiple detectors are used to detect scattered ions, the detectors are equally spaced from one another for their solid angle relative to the surface of the sample. The use of more than two detectors (eg, four detectors) symmetrically fixed to the surface of the sample may allow detection of surface features in two perpendicular directions to the normal plane of the sample surface.

Figures 35A through 35I generally depict various embodiments of a method for detecting scattered ions from different regions of a surface to determine topographical information about the surface of the same surface. In particular, Figures 35A, 35D, and 35G show the same 8050 having regions 8052, 8054, 8056, and 8058 having surfaces 8053, 8055, 8057, 8059, and 8061, respectively. As shown in Figures 35A, 35D and 35G, Surfaces 8055 and 8059 are inclined with respect to surfaces 8053, 8057, and 8061. When the ion beam is incident perpendicularly above, the scattering patterns 8070, 8090, and 80110 represent the angular distribution of ions scattered from the surfaces 8053, 8057, and 8061, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 35A, 35D, and 35G, each of the scattering patterns 8070, 8090, and 80110 is a cosine-type distribution. The scattering patterns 8080 and 80100 represent the angular distribution of ions scattered from the surfaces 8055 and 8059 when the ion beam is perpendicular to the regions 8054 and 8058. As shown in FIGS. 35A, 35D and 35G, since the ion beam is not incident perpendicularly on the surfaces 8055 and 8059, the angular distribution of the scattering patterns 8080 and 80100 is not a cosine-type distribution.

Figures 35B and 35C depict the total yield of scattered ions and the detection of a hemispherical detector (which is capable of angularly decomposing scattered ions, spectrally decomposing scattered ions, or both) 80120 for detecting scattered ions. The relative abundance of the scattered ions measured. As shown in Figure 35C, when detector 80120 is used, there is a shadowing effect on the relative abundance of detected ions. Thus, for example, assuming that the sample 8050 is formed of the same material over its entire surface, the relative total abundance profile of the self-detector 80120 can be used to determine the topography of the sample 8050. Alternatively, assuming the topography of the sample 8050 is known, the total abundance of the detected scattered ions due to the topography (relative abundance in Figure 35D) can be removed from the total abundance of the detected scattered ions. Contribute to determine the contribution to the total detected scattered ions due to other effects, such as varying materials across the surface of sample 8050.

Figures 35E and 35F depict the total yield of scattered ions and the relative abundance of detected scattered ions when a top detector 80130 having a relatively small acceptance angle for scattering ions is used to detect scattered ions. As shown in Figure 35F, because The scattering yield of the acceptance angle into detector 80130 is substantially smaller in regions 8054 and 8056 (regardless of the fact that the overall yield of scattered ions is higher in these regions, as shown in Figure 35E), Therefore, the relative abundance of scattered ions is reduced in regions 8054 and 8056. Thus, for example, assuming that sample 8050 is formed of the same material over its entire surface, the relative total abundance profile of self-detector 80130 can be used to determine the topography of sample 8050. Alternatively, assuming the topography of the sample 8050 is known, the total abundance of the detected scattered ions due to the topography (relative abundance in Figure 35D) can be removed from the total abundance of the detected scattered ions. Contribute to determine the contribution to the total detected scattered ions due to other effects, such as varying materials across the surface of sample 8050.

Figures 35H and 35I depict the total yield of scattered ions and the relative abundance of detected scattered ions when a top detector 80140 having a relatively large acceptance angle for scattering ions is used to detect scattered ions. As shown in FIG. 35I, by selecting the appropriate acceptance angle of detector 80140, the relative abundance of detected scattered ions is substantially the same across the sample system. The change in the total abundance of the detected scattered ions will be due to effects other than changes in surface topography (e.g., varying materials across the surface of sample 8050).

In some embodiments, the detection of scattered ions can be used to determine information about the composition of the material on the surface of the sample. One such method involves measuring the total abundance of scattered ions. A single detector (eg, a hemispherical detector) configured to detect scattered ions exiting surface 181 of the sample 180 (the surface impinged by the ion beam) may be used, or configured to detect surface 181 away from sample 180 (ion beam) Detecting scattering from multiple detectors of scattered ions using a range of angles and energy impacts on the surface of the sample (eg, at different solid angles to the surface of the sample) The total abundance of the child. In general, the scattering probability of erbium ions (and thus the total abundance of 氦 ions, assuming no effects from other factors, such as topographical changes in surface samples) is close to the surface atoms (the cesium ions are scattered from the surface atoms) The square of the atomic number (Z value) is proportional. Thus, for example, when attempting to distinguish between copper (atomic number 29) lines and germanium (atomic number 14) in a semiconductor article, the total abundance of the scattered erbium ions from the copper atoms on the surface of the semiconductor article will be close to Four times the total abundance of scattered ions of germanium atoms on the surface of a semiconductor article. In another example, when attempting to distinguish between a tungsten (atomic number 74) plug and a germanium (atomic number 14) in a semiconductor article, the total abundance of the scattered germanium ions from the tungsten atoms on the surface of the semiconductor article will be close to that of the semiconductor. The total abundance of the scattered ions of the germanium atoms on the surface of the object is 25 times. In another example, when attempting to distinguish between a gold (atomic number 79) region and a germanium (atomic number 14) in a semiconductor article, the total abundance of the scattering erbium ions from the gold atoms on the surface of the semiconductor article will be close to that of the semiconductor. The total abundance of the scattered ions of the germanium atoms on the surface of the object is 25 times. In another example, when attempting to distinguish between indium (atomic number 49) regions and germanium (atomic number 14) in a semiconductor article, the total abundance of the scattered germanium ions from the surface of the semiconductor article will be close to that of the semiconductor. 10 times the total abundance of scattered ions of germanium atoms on the surface of the object.

Another method for determining material composition information about the surface of a sample by detecting scattered cesium ions (which can be used in conjunction with or instead of total abundance detection) involves the use of energy decomposition and angular decomposition. The method is to measure the scattering erbium ions. For example, as shown in FIG. 36, the second lens 226 focuses the helium ion beam 192 onto the surface 181 of the sample 180. Helium ions 1102 are scattered from surface 181 and detected by detector 1100. The detector 1100 is designed to understand the angle and energy of each detected scattered erbium ion for each angle ε within the acceptance angle of the detector 1100. By measuring the energy and scattering angle of the scattering erbium ions, the mass of the atom that scatters the scattered erbium ions on the surface can be calculated from the following relationship:

Wherein the energy E _s line of scattered helium ions, helium ions incident energy E _i of the system, helium ions of mass M _He system, θ _s based scattering angle, and mass-based atoms M _a helium ions scattered.

The detector 1100 can, for example, be an energy-decomposed phosphor-based detector, an energy-decomposing scintillation-based detector, a solid-state detector, and an energy-decomposing electrostatic-based detector. , electrostatic enthalpy, energy decomposition ET detector, or energy decomposition microchannel. In general, the detector 1100 is required to have a substantially acceptable angle. In some embodiments, the detector 1100 is stationary (eg, a ring detector). In some embodiments, the detector 1100 can sweep a range of solid angles. Although a system for detecting energy decomposition and angular decomposition of erbium ions has been described, including a single detector, such systems may contain multiple (eg, two, three, four, five, six, Seven, eight) detectors. In general, multiple detectors are required as this provides a larger acceptance angle for the detected scattered erbium ions.

In some embodiments, detecting the total abundance of the scattered erbium ions can provide information about the crystallization of the sample. The total abundance of the scattered erbium ions can vary depending on whether the ion beam is aligned with the crystal structure of the sample. If the ion beam system is aligned with the crystal structure of the sample, the ions in the ion beam can generally penetrate into the sample for a given distance without experiencing collisions with the sample atoms (collectively referred to as channels). The system is relatively high, resulting in a lower total abundance of scattered erbium ions. On the other hand, if the ion beam is not aligned with the crystal structure, the ions in the ion beam will have a lower probability of penetrating into the sample for the given distance without experiencing collisions with the sample atoms, thereby producing a higher ratio of erbium ions. High total abundance. Thus, the total abundance of helium ions as a function of ion beam position on the surface of the sample can be correlated with the crystallization information of the material at that location. For example, there may be regions of the surface of the sample where the total abundance of strontium ions is substantially the same. Such regions may, for example, have the same crystal orientation, and the size of the regions may provide information on grain size and/or crystal size (eg, in polycrystalline germanium samples containing multiple directed crystalline ranges), and/or may provide information about the sample (Amorphous or crystalline sample) is the information of the region, because for a given chemical composition (such as elemental composition, material composition), the total abundance of the discrete cerium ions can depend on the compressive force of the material. .

Alternatively or additionally, by exposing one of the surface regions to the ion beam (without raster scanning of the ion beam) and then measuring the pattern of scattered erbium ions (eg, similar to backscattered electrons due to self-exposed to the sample surface of the electron beam) The obtained Kikuchi pattern was obtained to obtain crystallization information on the surface of the sample. The pattern of scattered erbium ions can be analyzed to determine, for example, the location of the material exposed at the surface of the sample surface of the ion beam, the lattice spacing, and/or the type of crystal (eg, a body-centered cube, a surface-centered cube).

Scatter ion imaging technology can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. One example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor article (eg, a patterned wafer) that can include, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. Scatter ion imaging techniques can be used to identify defects in devices, such as incomplete electrical connections between conductors, and/or electrical shorts between circuit components. This method can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed. Another example of a sample class in which scattered ion imaging techniques can be used is metals and alloys. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material (eg, an alloy) can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample class in which scattered ion imaging techniques can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. Additional examples of materials in which scattering ion imaging techniques can be used are biological materials and medical materials.

In general, when the surface of the sample is exposed to an electron beam of the type used in conventional SEM, no scattered ions are formed, and thus no crystal information or material composition information obtainable by the detected scattering cesium ions can be used for such SEM. This is an important advantage of a gas field ion microscope (such as a helium ion microscope) as described herein over conventional SEM.

Measuring the scattered erbium ions using a gas field ion microscope (e.g., helium ion microscope) as described herein can provide several advantages over conventional rusted backscatter measurement devices. The spot size at which incident erbium ions can be focused on the surface of the sample can be much smaller than the spot size of a conventional rasseback backscatter measuring device (typical spot size of 100 μm to 1 mm or more), thereby providing Information on the material composition of the sample surface that is accurately localized compared to the surface achieved using conventional rusted backscatter measuring devices. In addition, a gas field ion microscope (such as a helium ion microscope) as described herein allows raster scanning on a pixel-by-pixel basis across the sample surface, whereas the Laceford backscatter measurement device does not. This can reduce the cost and/or complexity associated with material composition information about the surface of the sample at various locations on the surface.

D. Primary neutral particles

The primary neutral particle used herein is a neutral particle produced when an ion beam interacts with a sample and exits the sample as an uncharged neutral particle (eg, an uncharged helium atom) from an ion (eg, helium ion) of the ion beam. . In contrast to scattering helium ions, a relatively sensitive detection of the subsurface region of a sample of a helium atomic system. As used herein, the subsurface region is the same region as it is greater than 5 nm below the surface of the sample (eg, 10 nm or greater below the surface of the sample, 25 nm or greater below the surface of the sample, 50 nm or greater below the surface of the sample), And 1000 nm or less below the surface of the sample (eg 500 nm or less below the surface of the sample, 250 nm or less below the surface of the sample, 100 nm or less below the surface of the sample). In general, the depth of detection of the ion beam increases as the energy of the ions increases. Therefore, to determine deeper surface information about the sample, a higher energy ion beam can be used. The depth profile of the material component information can be obtained by using a varying ion beam energy (detection depth) to obtain a plurality of 氦 atom images of the same. In some embodiments, terrain reconstruction algorithms and/or techniques can be applied to depth dependent information to perform terrain reconstruction of the structure of the sample.

In general, using total abundance detection, energy decomposition/angle resolution detection, or both, use the detector configuration as described above for the corresponding technique for scattering helium ions, and also use as explained above The same mathematical relationship of the scattered erbium ions can determine the material composition information based on the detection of a cesium atom. However, in general, a detector for a helium atom can detect neutral species. Examples of such detectors include microchannel boards, channel multipliers, and scintillator/PMT detectors.

A neutral particle (eg, helium atom) technique can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. An example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor object (eg As patterned wafers, it may comprise, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. A neutral particle technique can be used to identify defects in the device, such as incomplete electrical connections between conductors, and/or electrical shorts between circuit components. This method can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed. Another example of a sample class in which a neutral particle imaging technique can be used is a metal and an alloy. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material (eg, an alloy) can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample class in which a neutral particle imaging technique can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. Additional examples of materials in which a neutral particle imaging technique can be used are biological materials and medical materials.

Neutral particles are typically not formed when the sample surface is exposed to an electron beam of the type used in conventional SEM, and thus no crystallization information or material composition information available via the detected scattering cesium ions can be used for such SEM . This is an important advantage of a gas field ion microscope (such as a helium ion microscope) as described herein over conventional SEM.

E. Photon

Important typical photons include X-ray photons, UV photons, photons, and IR photons. The IR photonic system used herein has photons having a wavelength greater than 700 nm to 100,000 nm (e.g., from 1.2 x 10 ^-5 keV to 1.7 x 10 ^-3 keV), and the visible light sub-system has greater than 400 nm to 700 nm (e.g., from 1.8 x 10 ^-3 Photons having a wavelength of keV to 3 × 10 ^-3 keV), UV photons having photons of wavelengths greater than 10 nm to 400 nm (e.g., from 3.1 × 10 ^-3 keV to 125 eV), and X-ray photonic systems having from 0.01 nm to 10 nm Photons of wavelengths (eg from 125 eV to 125 keV). In general, such photonic systems emit from a range of angles and energy/wavelengths from the surface of the sample. However, the most important information is usually the wavelength and/or energy of the photon (as opposed to angular decomposition photon information) because, as explained below, the wavelength and/or energy of the photon can provide information about the surface of the sample. Photons can be detected using one or more suitable detectors capable of detecting photons using wavelength decomposition or energy decomposition (see above for a description of the type of detector). If multiple detectors are used, they can all be the same type of detector (or different types of detectors can be used) and can be configured as needed. The detector can be configured to detect surface 181 (the surface impinged by the ion beam) leaving sample 180, surface 183 of sample 180 (the surface on the opposite side of the surface against which the ion beam strikes), or both (see above for the detector) The description of the configuration) photons. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of detected photons, it may be necessary to use a detector that collects relatively large solid angles of photons. Alternatively or additionally, the system can include one or more optical elements (eg, one or more lenses, one or more mirrors) that are adjacent to the surface of the sample and can direct photons to the detector (eg, To increase the effective solid angle of detection of detected photons).

In general, detecting the energy and/or wavelength of a photon can produce information about the material composition of the sample (eg, elemental information, chemical environmental information). In such embodiments, the information system is primarily related to the surface of the sample. In general, for each element or material in a given chemical environment, photons emitted by an element or material will have a particular energy/energy band and a wavelength/wavelength band. Thus, the energy and wavelength of a photon emitted from a given location on the surface generally depends on the material present at that location. Thus, changes in the energy or wavelength of a photon as a function of the position of the ion beam on the surface of the sample can be correlated with changes in the elements and/or materials present on the surface of the sample to provide Information about the material composition of the surface of the sample.

Alternatively or additionally, information on the material composition of the sample can be obtained by determining the photon by the de-excitation time of the sample material. This can be achieved, for example, by applying a pulse to the ion beam to expose the sample to the ion beam for a short period of time, and then measuring the amount of time it takes to detect the photon, which is excited by the sample material that emits the photon. Time related. In general, each element or material in a given chemical environment will have a specific de-excitation time period.

Photon detection can be used in conjunction with a polarizer to obtain crystallization information about the sample, since the polarization of the photons can depend on the crystal orientation of the material in the sample. Thus, via the use of a polarizer, the polarization of the photons emitted by the sample can be determined to provide information about the crystal positioning of the sample.

In general, the information contained in the detected photons will be primarily information about the surface of the sample. However, because photons can escape from the subsurface area of the sample, the detected photons can contain information about the subsurface area of the sample. Therefore, detecting photons can be used to determine the optical properties of the sample. For example, the transparency of a sample to a photon can be investigated by manipulating the energy of the ions in the ion beam, and thus manipulating its depth of detection, and determining the corresponding effect on the intensity of the detected photons. The detected photon intensity as a function of ion energy (detection depth) can produce information about the transparency of the sample to the photon.

Photon imaging technology can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. One example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor article (eg, a patterned wafer) that can include, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. Photon imaging technology can be used to identify defects in devices, such as incomplete conductors. All electrical connections, and / or electrical shorts between circuit components. This method can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed. Another example of a sample class in which photon imaging techniques can be used is metal and alloy. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material (eg, an alloy) can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample class in which photon imaging techniques can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. Additional examples of materials in which photon imaging technology can be used are biological materials and medical materials.

The use of an imaged sample of photons produced by exposure to a helium ion beam can provide several advantages over photon imaging via other techniques, such as SEM. For example, the spot size of the helium ion beam on the sample can be smaller than the spot size of the electron beam from the SEM. Due to the smaller spot size, the area of the sample exposed to the helium ion beam is more carefully controlled than the exposed area in the SEM.

Further, in general, since the cerium ion is heavier than the electron, the scattering event does not easily disperse the cerium ion in the sample as the electrons are dispersed by scattering. Thus, in a smaller interaction volume than the electrons in the SEM, the erbium ions incident on the surface of the sample can interact with the sample. Thus, photons detected in a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope) can originate from regions smaller than those that cause photons in an SEM having a similar spot size. Thus, the photons produced by the interaction of the sample with the helium ion beam can correspond to a more localized query of the surface of the sample (eg, a smaller lateral average with material properties) than the photons produced in the SEM.

In addition, the helium ion source also provides a greater depth of focus than the electron source. Thus, an image obtained using an ion microscope (eg, a gas field ion microscope) can display a larger portion of the sample along a direction perpendicular to the surface of the sample, as compared to a comparable image obtained from photons in the SEM. It is measured and in focus.

F. secondary ion

Secondary ions are used herein as ions that are generated when an ion beam interacts with a sample to remove a monoatomic or polyatomic species from a sample in a charged state. The interaction between the incident ion beam and the sample can produce secondary ions. In general, this method is more effective when using inert gas ions (Ar ions, Ne ions, Kr ions, Xe ions) of a mass greater than ruthenium.

The detection of secondary ions from the sample can provide information on the material composition of the sample by calculating the mass of the detected particles. In general, this information will correspond to the material on the surface of the sample. In some embodiments, the quality of the secondary ions is determined using a combination of time of flight and a mass decomposition detector, such as a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Such secondary ion detection can be performed as follows. The ion beam is operated in a pulsed mode by varying the potential of the ion optics applied to the ion optics. The pulse of incident ions is incident on the surface of the sample. One of the rates at which the ion optic potential is switched to turn the ion beam on and off is also used as a reference time signal for the detector (see above for a description of the detector). In this way, the flight time of the secondary ions from the sample to the detector can be accurately determined.

Depending on the time of flight of the detected secondary ion, the distance traveled by it (eg, the distance between the detector and the sample), and its energy, the mass of the particle can be calculated and the type of chemical species (eg, atom) can be identified. This information is for Determine the material composition information for the sample.

Secondary ion imaging technology can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. One example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor article (eg, a patterned wafer) that can include, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. Secondary ion imaging techniques can be used to identify defects in the device, such as incomplete electrical connections between conductors, and/or electrical shorts between circuit components. This method can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed. Another example of a sample class in which secondary ion imaging techniques can be used is a metal and an alloy. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material (eg, an alloy) can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample class in which secondary ion imaging techniques can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. Additional examples of materials in which secondary ion imaging techniques can be used are biological materials and medical materials.

Secondary ions are typically not formed when the sample surface is exposed to an electron beam of the type used in conventional SEM, and thus no material composition information available via the detected secondary ions can be used for such SEM. This is an important advantage of a gas field ion microscope (such as a helium ion microscope) as described herein over conventional SEM.

G. secondary neutral particles

Secondary neutral particles are neutral particles produced when an ion beam interacts with a sample to remove a single atom or polyatomic species from a sample in an uncharged state. The interaction between the incident ion beam and the sample can produce secondary neutral particles. In general, this method is more effective when using inert gas ions (Ar ions, Ne ions, Kr ions, Xe ions) of a mass greater than ruthenium. In general, Accessing information available from secondary neutral particles, ionizing the particles prior to detection (eg, via laser initiated ionization, electron induced ionization).

The detection of secondary neutral particles (post-ionization) from the sample can provide information on the material composition of the sample by calculating the mass of the detected particles. In general, this information will correspond to the material on the surface of the sample. In some embodiments, the combination of time of flight and a mass decomposition detector (eg, a quadrupole mass spectrometer) determines the quality of the secondary neutral particles (post ionization). Such secondary neutral particle (post ionization) detection can be performed as follows. The ion beam is operated in a pulsed mode by varying the potential of the ion optics applied to the ion optics. The pulse of incident ions is incident on the surface of the sample. The clock signal that determines the rate at which the ionization device (eg, laser, electron beam) and/or ion optic potential is switched is also used as the reference time signal for the detector (see above for a description of the detector) . In this way, the flight time of the secondary neutral particles (post-ionization) from the sample to the detector can be accurately determined.

Depending on the time of flight of the detected secondary ion, the distance traveled by it (eg, the distance between the detector and the sample), and its energy, the mass of the particle can be calculated and the type of chemical species (eg, atom) can be identified. This information is used to determine material composition information for the sample.

Secondary neutral particle imaging technology can be applied to a variety of different categories of samples. One example of such a class of materials is a semiconductor article (eg, a patterned wafer) that can include, for example, a plurality of electrical conductors surrounded by a matrix of insulating materials. Secondary neutral particle imaging techniques can be used to identify defects in the device, such as incomplete electrical connections between conductors, and/or electrical shorts between circuit components. This can be used similarly for the purpose of reticle repair, as needed method. Another example of a sample class in which secondary neutral particle imaging techniques can be used is metal and alloy. For example, an image of a sample containing a mixed material (eg, an alloy) can be used to determine the surface distribution of each of the materials in the sample. Another example of a sample class in which secondary neutral particle imaging techniques can be used is for the read/write structure of data storage. Additional examples of classes of materials in which secondary neutral particle imaging techniques can be used are biological materials and medical materials.

Secondary neutral particles are typically not produced when the sample surface is exposed to an electron beam of the type used in conventional SEM, and thus no material composition information available via the detected secondary neutral particles is available for such SEM . This is an important advantage of a gas field ion microscope (such as a helium ion microscope) as described herein over conventional SEM.

Exemplary application

A. Semiconductor manufacturing

(1 Overview

Semiconductor fabrication generally involves preparing an article comprising a plurality of layers of material that are sequentially deposited and processed to form an integrated electronic circuit, an integrated circuit component, and/or a different microelectronic device. Such articles generally comprise various features (eg, circuit lines formed from a conductive material, wells filled with a non-conductive material, regions formed from semi-conductive materials) that are accurately positioned relative to one another (generally in the number of On the scale within the meter range). The position, size (length, width, depth), composition (chemical composition), and related properties (conductivity, crystal orientation, magnetic properties) of a given feature can significantly affect the performance of the article. For example, in a particular example, if one or more of the parameters are outside of an appropriate range, the object may be discarded because it does not function as desired. Therefore, in semi-guide During the fabrication of the body, it is generally desirable to control the steps very well, and it is advantageous to have a tool that monitors the fabrication of a semiconductor article at various steps in the process to investigate one or more features at various stages of the semiconductor process. Location, size, composition and related characteristics. The term semiconductor article as used herein refers to an integrated electronic circuit, an integrated circuit component, a microelectronic device, or a process for fabricating an integrated electronic circuit, an integrated circuit component, or a microelectronic device. An object. In some embodiments, a semiconductor article can be part of a flat panel display or a photovoltaic cell.

A plurality of regions of a semiconductor article can be formed from different types of materials (conductive, non-conductive, semi-conductive). Exemplary electrically conductive materials include metals such as aluminum, chromium, nickel, niobium, titanium, tungsten, and alloys including one or more of the metals (eg, aluminum copper alloys). Exemplary non-conductive materials include tellurides, carbides, nitrides, oxides, phosphides, tellurides, and sulfides of one or more of the metals (eg, nickel, antimony telluride, antimony telluride, nitrogen) Chemical bismuth, bismuth telluride, tantalum nitride and titanium nitride). Exemplary semiconductive materials include tantalum, niobium, and gallium arsenide. If necessary, half of the conductive material (p-doped, n-doped) may be doped to increase the conductivity of the material.

As noted above, in general, the fabrication of a semiconductor article involves the sequential deposition and processing of multiple layers of material. The general steps of depositing/treating a given layer of material include imaging an object (eg, to determine where a desired feature is to be formed), depositing a suitable material (eg, a conductive material, a semiconductive material, a non-conductive material). And etching to remove unnecessary material from specific locations in the article. Typically, a photoresist (e.g., a polymeric photoresist) is deposited/exposed to the appropriate radiation/selective etch to assist in controlling the position and size of a given feature. Generally That is, one or more subsequent processing steps are employed to remove the photoresist, and it is generally not desirable for the final semiconductor article to contain a significant amount of photoresist.

Gas field ion microscopes (e.g., helium ion microscopes) as described herein can be used to investigate a semiconductor article at various steps (e.g., various steps) during the process. In particular, by detecting and analyzing a type of object or a plurality of different types of objects (as described above), the gas field ion microscope (eg, helium ion microscope) can be used to determine topological information about the surface of the semiconductor object, semiconductor Material composition information of the surface of the object, information on the composition of the subsurface area of the semiconductor object, information about the crystallization of the semiconductor object, voltage contrast information on the surface of the semiconductor object, voltage contrast information on the surface area of the sample, and information on the semiconductor object Magnetic information and/or optical information about semiconductor objects.

The use of one of the ion microscopes or ion beams described herein can provide a variety of different advantages that generally reduce the time, cost, and/or complexity associated with semiconductor article fabrication. Exemplary advantages associated with the use of ion microscopes or ion beams as described herein include relatively high resolution, relatively small spot size, relatively small undesired sample damage, and relatively small undesirable. Material deposition and/or implantation, relatively high quality imaging over a relatively short period of time, relatively high yield.

Examples of specific processing steps in semiconductor fabrication are described below.

(ii) reticle lithography

Semiconductor articles are typically fabricated using a lithography process that involves a photoresist layer (eg, a polymer photoresist such as poly(methacrylic acid) An ester (PMMA) or epoxy-based photoresist, carbonic acid-diethylene glycol ester, or photosensitive glass is placed on a surface to pattern the material such that the specific region of the photoresist resists an etchant (While certain areas are not resistant to an etchant), etching the material without etching the photoresist area, depositing suitable materials (eg, one or more conductive materials, one or more non-conductive materials, one or more semi-conductive materials) Remove unwanted areas of material as needed. In general, the patterning step involves exposing the photoresist to a radiation pattern of a suitable wavelength such that certain regions of the photoresist are resistant to etching and other regions of the photoresist are not resistant to etching. Forming the radiation by forming an image of a reticle over the photoresist or covering a particular area of the photoresist with a reticle and exposing the uncovered areas of the photoresist through the reticle A pattern is formed over the photoresist.

However, prior to exposure to radiation, a reticle is not used to cover multiple regions of the photoresist, and an ion beam generated by the interaction of a gas atom with a gas field ion source (eg, a cesium ion source) as described herein may be used. The illuminating to pattern the photoresist produces the desired etch resistant regions and the etch resistant regions. For example, by scanning the ion beam across the photoresist grating, the desired material region is exposed to the plasma (eg, by opening the ion beam in a region where the photoresist needs to be exposed to the radiation and without the need for photoresist) This can be achieved by turning off the ion beam in areas exposed to radiation. Therefore, a semiconductor mask can be fabricated using a maskless process.

The use of an ion beam generated via the interaction of a gas atom with a gas field ion source (e.g., a helium ion source) as described herein can provide one or more advantages of the following advantages. As noted, the process can be performed without the use of a reticle, thereby reducing the time, cost, and/or complexity associated with semiconductor article fabrication. The relatively large depth of focus of the ion beam allows for the patterning of relatively thick photoresist materials (eg 2 μm or more, 5 μm or more, 10 μm or more, or 20 μm or less). The relatively deeper ion penetration depth achievable with the ion beam can further aid in the processing of relatively thick photoresist materials and in the processing of more standard thickness photoresist materials with better quality. Moreover, the ion beam has a higher resolution relative to the resolution typically achieved by the electron beam, allowing for the fabrication of smaller scale features with greater precision. In addition, the ion beam patterned photoresist can be faster than the electron beam patterned photoresist.

(iii) Combination of ion microscope and focused ion beam

A focused ion beam (FIB) is commonly used in the fabrication of a semiconductor article to obtain the same for inspection. Gallium (Ga) ions are commonly used in FIB. A FIB can be used for a variety of reasons, such as cross-sectional imaging through a semiconductor article, circuit editing, failure analysis of a semiconductor article, preparation of a semiconductor object species for transmissive electron microscopy (TEM), and reticle repair. One or more materials may be deposited on the same substrate using a FIB (eg, as an ion source in a chemical vapor deposition process), as desired. In general, the FIB is used to remove material from a semiconductor article via sputtering. For example, in some embodiments, the FIB is used to slice through a semiconductor article to expose a section of the object for subsequent imaging using the ion microscope. In a particular embodiment, the FIB is used to splatter material from an object to form a trench or via in the article. For example, this technique can be used for multiple object portions that are exposed beneath the surface of the article. The ion microscope can then be used to deposit new materials using gas assisted chemistry techniques or to etch away existing materials exposed by the FIB. In some embodiments, a FIB can also be used as a selective sputtering tool to remove portions of a semiconductor article, such as portions of a conductive material on the article. In a specific concrete In the example, a FIB is used to cut a portion of the same portion so that the portion can be analyzed later (eg, using a TEM).

It is generally necessary to accurately locate the FIB on the sample. For this purpose, a gas field ion microscope (e.g., a helium ion microscope) as described herein can be used. For example, a cross beam tool having both a FIB instrument and a gas field ion microscope can be used such that the gas field ion microscope can be used to determine the position of the FIB without moving the sample. Using this tool, the gas field ion source can be used to image a sample and provide information that can be used to pinpoint the FIB as needed. Such a configuration can provide a number of advantages over the use of an SEM to determine the FIB position. As an example, the use of an SEM can result in a magnetic field on the surface of adjacent samples that can cause isotopic separation of the gallium ions, resulting in multiple FIB locations at the sample. In many instances, this problem causes the serial to use FIB and SEM without being used at the same time. In contrast, however, a gas field ion microscope can operate in the absence of such a magnetic field, thereby eliminating the complexity associated with isotope separation of gallium ions, while also allowing simultaneous use of FIB and gas field ion microscopes. This may be required, for example, when the preparation is used for subsequent inspections (eg, for TEM inspections) where the sample thickness may be required to meet relatively tight tolerances. An additional advantage of using a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope) is that it has a working distance that is longer than the working distance typically used by a SEM while still maintaining excellent resolution because of the ion beam than the electrons. The bundle has a smaller virtual source. This may be slower and may limit the specific spacing that exists for combining one FIB instrument and one SEM tool. Another advantage of one of the gas field ion microscopes described herein is that it can be used to obtain information about the subsurface of the same, thereby improving the ability to accurately position the FIB, while an SEM generally does not provide such subsurface information.

(iv) Gas-assisted chemistry

Gas assisted chemistry is commonly used in semiconductor fabrication processes to add materials to a given layer and/or to remove materials from a given layer. For example, gas-assisted chemistry can be used in semiconductor circuit editing to repair damage or improperly fabricated circuits formed in semiconductor articles. Gas-assisted chemistry can also be used in photolithographic etch mask repair where materials can be added to or removed from the reticle to repair defects caused by use or improper fabrication.

The process generally involves interacting electrons with an activating gas to form a reactive gas which can then participate in chemistry on a surface of a semiconductor article to add material to, remove material from, or both. In general, the electrons are generated as secondary electrons due to interaction of a gallium ion beam with the sample and/or the electrons are interacted with the sample by an electron beam (eg, generated by an SEM) The secondary electrons caused by the action are generated. An appropriate extraction system can be used to remove undesirable volatile products of the surface chemistry, as desired.

Examples of activating gases that can be used to remove material from the surface include Cl ₂ , O ₂ , I ₂ , XeF ₂ , F ₂ , CF _{4 ,} and H ₂ O. As an example, in some embodiments, one of the formation of chromium, chromium oxide, chromium nitride, and/or chromium oxynitride may be at least partially removed by interaction of electrons with Cl ₂ and/or O ₂ . The surface area, thereby allowing the resulting chemical species to etch the surface area. As another example, in a particular embodiment, a surface region formed by a tantalum nitride can be at least partially removed by interaction of electrons with XeF ₂ , F _{2 ,} and/or CF ₄ to allow for generation The chemical species etches the surface area. As another example, in certain embodiments, the electron is removed by H ₂ O and / or O ₂ interaction may be at least partially formed by a surface region of one of the carbonaceous material, thereby allowing the resulting chemical species Etching the surface area.

An exemplary system WF ₆ (for depositing W, such as a tungsten plug) that can be used to deposit one of the materials of a material on the surface.

One of the ion beams generated by the interaction of a gas atom with a gas field ion source (e.g., a helium ion source) as described herein can be used to perform gas assisted chemistry. For example, in such a process, secondary electrons that leave the sample due to the interaction of the ion beam with the sample can be used to assist the chemical electron. The use of such an ion beam provides several advantages over the use of a gallium ion beam. As an example, the use of a helium ion beam can reduce (e.g., eliminate) undesirable ion implantation, which is a common problem when using a gallium ion beam. As another example, a gas field ion beam (eg, a helium ion beam) can provide improved resolution relative to a gallium ion beam and/or an incident electron beam (eg, an incident electron beam produced by a SEM). This allows the chemistry to be used more accurately and/or controllably. For example, this point may reduce (eg, eliminate) unwanted interactions of ions with a particular portion of the same (eg, such a situation may occur in a gallium ion beam with the ion beam profile extending to the end of the undesired region of the sample) Gallium implants in this region may create semiconductor object performance issues.).

(v) splashing

In the fabrication of semiconductor article processes, it may be necessary to remove material during certain steps. For this purpose, an ion beam can be used, wherein the ion beam removes material from the sample. In particular, one of the ion beams generated by the interaction of a gas atom with a gas field ion source as described herein can be used for sputtering. Although helium gas ions can be used, it is generally preferred to use heavier ions (such as ruthenium). Gas ions, argon gas ions, helium gas ions, helium gas ions) are used to remove the material. During the removal of the material, the ion beam is focused over the sample area where the material is to be removed.

One advantage of using an ion beam removal material is that a relatively controlled and/or precise removal of the material can be employed. An additional advantage is that splashing can be achieved without undesired ion implantation (such as is often the case when using gallium ion splatting, where gallium implantation is a commonly undesirable splashing side effect).

(vi) detecting holes

During the fabrication of a semiconductor article, voids in particular features or layers may be improperly formed. In some embodiments, voids may undesirably affect characteristics (eg, electrical, mechanical) of features and/or overall devices. In a particular embodiment, subsequent processing steps may open a void, which may, for example, fill a liquid and/or gas component. This may cause corrosion of the underlying structure, particle defects and/or residual defects on the surrounding wafer surface.

As an example, during the deposition of tungsten plugs from WF ₆ , a TiN _x protective layer is typically used to protect an adjacent dielectric material (eg, germanium and phosphorus-doped germanium) from corrosion (eg, not formed in tungsten). The effect of HF released during the period). Discontinuities in the TiN _x layer can result in significant void formation. As another example, deposition of material (e.g., dielectric material) in a trench (e.g., a relatively high aspect ratio trench) may result in a bottleneck due to subsequent void formation. As an additional example, void formation can occur during dielectric filling of the shadow trench isolation structure. As another example, voids may be formed during the formation of a line of electrically conductive material, such as a copper wire, which may result in an undesired decrease in electrical conductivity. In some cases, such voids may result in insufficient conductivity where conductivity is required.

A gas field ion microscope (e.g., a helium ion microscope) as described herein can be used to investigate void formation by utilizing its ability to provide subsurface information about the same (e.g., a semiconductor article). This feature can be used during semiconductor article processing to determine the presence and/or location of voids. This point is a different advantage over the use of an electron beam because an electron beam generally does not provide such subsurface information for the same.

(vii) overlay offset alignment

Coverage offset alignment generally refers to the alignment of a feature of a given layer of a semiconductor article with a feature within the semiconductor layer. As noted above, the formation of a semiconductor article generally involves the proper formation of a plurality of layers. In general, a semiconductor article contains more than 20 layers. Typically, each layer may comprise a plurality of different features, each feature requiring high precision positioning such that the semiconductor article can function properly. As an example, a semiconductor article can include lateral features, such as conductive wires, that are in different layers and are interconnected by a via. In general, it is desirable to align features within a semiconductor article in the range of 100 nm (eg, 75 nm, 50 nm, 25 nm, 15 nm, 10 nm, 9 nm, 8 nm, 7 nm, 6 nm, 5 nm, 4 nm, 3 nm, 2 nm, 1 nm). Misalignment of one of these many features may result in uselessness of the entire semiconductor article.

Coverage offset alignment is typically performed using optical techniques (using test structures) that are microscale structures (significantly larger than the microelectronic circuit feature size). As such, it is generally not possible to place the optical test structure internally on a wafer due to the amount of wafer space it occupies. For example, the measurement structures can be placed closer to the edge of the wafer, but still occupy valuable space on the surface of the wafer. Optical test structures are also expensive because they are only for alignment purposes. Manufacturing. Finally, the use of optical test structures for alignment constraints can be used to determine the accuracy of aligning features within different layers.

The gas field ion microscopes described herein (eg, a helium ion microscope) provide various types of information about the sample with relatively high precision (eg, topological information, material composition information about the surface, material composition information about the primary surface area, crystallization information). The ability to correlate voltage contrast information on the surface, voltage contrast information on the primary surface area, magnetic information, and optical information allows the microscope to be advantageously used during the manufacture of a semiconductor article to assist in ensuring proper and accurate accuracy within the device. Positioning and resizing the features within the device. In particular, the helium ion microscope allows for alignment of circuit features in multiple layers with higher resolution than is typically achieved with optical test structures. In addition, coverage offset alignment may be performed without the use of a test structure for manufacturing purposes (eg, an optical test structure) because, for example, a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope) described herein may image an image (eg, a semiconductor object). Surface features. Thus, the wasted space occupied by the test structure (e.g., optical test structure) on the wafer for manufacturing purposes and the associated cost and/or complexity associated with including such test structures can be avoided.

(viii) Critical dimension metric

Critical dimensioning is the measurement of linear feature sizes in a semiconductor article that can critically affect device performance. Examples of such features may include wires (eg, conductive material lines, semi-conductive material lines, non-conductive material lines). A semiconductor article can include one or more features having a size of 20 nm or less (eg, 10 nm or less, 5 nm or less, 4 nm or less, 3 nm or less, 2 nm or less, 1 nm or less). ). In some embodiments, multiple measurements are large Small to provide statistical information about the size of the feature. For example, critical dimension measurements typically involve, for example, determining the length of a patterned feature on a wafer. A wafer (containing a plurality of dies, each tiling forms a semiconductor article) can be randomly selected from a manufacturing line for inspection, or all wafers on the line can be inspected. An imaging instrument can be used to measure the selected critical dimension at a relatively high output rate. If the measured critical dimension does not fall within acceptable limits, the wafer may be discarded. If multiple samples originating from a particular manufacturing machine have critical dimensions that exceed acceptable limits, the machine can be shut down or its operating parameters changed.

The helium ion microscope system described herein can be used for critical dimension measurements. In particular, the erbium ion beam can be raster scanned on a region of a wafer and the resulting wafer image can be used to determine the (equal) critical dimension. For critical dimension measurements, helium ion microscope systems offer many advantages over SEM and other inspection systems. Comparing SEM images, helium ion microscope images generally exhibit lower edge scatter (generally, due to the increase in yield at a slope that is nearly parallel to the topographical features of the ion beam, too much signal is close to the saturation point of the detector) . The reduced edge float is caused by the smaller interaction volume of the erbium ions with the sample surface relative to the interaction volume of the electrons with the surface.

In addition, comparing a relatively incident electron beam, the incident erbium ions can be focused to a smaller spot size. Smaller ion beam spot sizes, combined with smaller interaction volumes, result in sample images that outperform the resolution of images produced using SEM and more accurately determine the critical dimensions of the sample.

Comparing a SEM, the depth of focus of a beam of ions is relatively large. Therefore, comparing an electron beam, the resolution of the sample features at different depths is more consistent when an ion beam is used. Therefore, using an ion beam can be deep in various samples The degree provides a better and more consistent lateral resolution than can be provided using an electron beam. As an example, using an ion beam can achieve a better critical dimension profile than can be achieved with an electron beam.

Moreover, in a specific embodiment in which information is obtained based at least in part on secondary electrons, comparing an electron beam, a relatively high secondary electron yield provided by an ion beam can produce a relatively high signal-to-noise for a given current. ratio. This point can then allow sufficient information about the sample to be obtained over a relatively short period of time to increase the output for a given current.

The scattering cesium ions can be used to perform imaging samples for determining critical dimensions. In addition to the high resolution distance decision, this point also provides the added benefit of material information.

During the use of the plasma microscope system for critical dimension measurements, a first-class gun can be used to prevent over-charging of the sample surface (see above). Alternatively or additionally, a very low helium beam current (e.g., 100fA or less) can be used. In addition to reducing surface charge and maintaining image fidelity, the use of low ion currents reduces the damage of specific photoresist materials caused by the ion beam.

In some embodiments, the selected wafer sample for critical dimension measurement may require cutting (eg, to measure a cross-sectional dimension of the sample). For this purpose, heavier gases, such as helium and argon, can be used in the ion microscope to form an ion beam that can be used to cut through one of the samples. Alternatively, a gallium-based FIB can be used to cut the sample. The gases can then be purged from the microscope system and introduced into the crucible so that a helium ion beam is used for critical dimension measurements to avoid sample damage during metrology.

(ix) Line edge roughness and line width roughness

Line edge roughness generally refers to the edge roughness of a line of material in a semiconductor article, and line width roughness generally refers to the width roughness of a line of material in a semiconductor article. It may be necessary to understand the values to determine if an actual or potential problem exists in a given semiconductor object. For example, if adjacent lines formed of a conductive material have edges that protrude outward toward each other, the lines may come into contact with each other, resulting in a short circuit. It may be desirable to understand that the line edge roughness and/or line width roughness should be in the range of 5 nm or less (eg, 4 nm or less, 3 nm or less, 2 nm or less, 1 nm or less, 0.9 nm or more). Small, 0.8 nm or less, 0.7 nm or less, 0.6 nm or less, 0.5 nm or less). In some embodiments, line edge roughness and/or line edge width are measured multiple times to provide statistical information about feature size. In addition, manufacturing tolerances for parameters such as line edge roughness can be extremely high. For example, it may be necessary to control the line edge roughness of the semiconductor article features to be in the range of 5 nm or less (eg, in the range of 4 nm or less, in the range of 3 nm or less, in the range of 2 nm or less, at 1 nm or In a smaller range, in the range of 0.5 nm or less, in the range of 0.1 nm or less, in the range of 0.05 nm or less, in the range of 0.01 nm or less).

When determining line edge roughness and line width roughness, the wafer can be randomly selected from a manufacturing line for inspection, or all wafers on the line can be inspected. Line edge roughness and line width roughness can be measured at a relatively high output rate using an imaging instrument. If the measured line edge roughness and line width roughness do not fall within acceptable limits, the wafer may be discarded. If multiple samples originating from a particular manufacturing machine have line edge roughness and line width roughness that exceed acceptable limits, the machine can be shut down or its operating parameters can be changed.

Gas field ion microscopy as disclosed herein (eg, helium ion microscopy) Mirror) can be used to measure line edge roughness and line width roughness. In particular, the erbium ion beam can be raster scanned along the length of a feature, and the resulting information can be used to determine line edge roughness and line width roughness with relatively high precision.

For line edge roughness and line width roughness measurements, helium ion microscope systems offer many advantages over SEM and other inspection systems. Comparing SEM images, helium ion microscope images generally exhibit lower edge scatter (generally, due to the increase in yield at a slope that is nearly parallel to the topographical features of the ion beam, too much signal is close to the saturation point of the detector) . The reduced edge float is caused by the smaller interaction volume of the erbium ions with the sample surface relative to the interaction volume of the electrons with the surface.

In addition, comparing a relatively incident electron beam, the incident erbium ions can be focused to a smaller spot size. Smaller ion beam spot sizes, combined with smaller interaction volumes, result in sample images that outperform the resolution of images produced using SEM and more accurately determine line edge roughness and line width roughness of the sample.

Comparing a SEM, the depth of focus of a beam of ions is relatively large. Therefore, comparing an electron beam, the resolution of the sample features at different depths is more consistent when an ion beam is used. Thus, the use of an ion beam provides a better and more consistent lateral resolution at various sample depths than can be provided using an electron beam. As an example, using an ion beam can achieve a better line width profile than would be possible with an electron beam.

Moreover, in a specific embodiment in which information is obtained based at least in part on secondary electrons, comparing an electron beam, a relatively high secondary electron yield provided by an ion beam can produce a relatively high signal pair for a given current. News ratio. This point It is then possible to obtain sufficient information about the sample in a relatively short period of time to increase the output for a given current.

The scattering cesium ions can be used to perform imaging samples for determining critical dimensions. In addition to the high resolution distance decision, this point also provides the added benefit of material information.

A first-class gun can be used to prevent over-charging of the sample surface during use of the plasma microscope system for line edge roughness and line width roughness measurement measurements (see above). Alternatively or additionally, a very low helium beam current (e.g., 100fA or less) can be used. In addition to reducing surface charge and maintaining image fidelity, the use of low ion currents reduces the damage of specific photoresist materials caused by the ion beam.

In some embodiments, the selected wafer sample for line edge roughness and line width roughness measurement may require cutting (eg, to measure a cross-sectional dimension of the sample). For this purpose, heavier gases, such as helium and argon, can interact with a gas field ion source to create an ion beam that can be used to cut through one of the samples. The gases can then be purged from the microscope system and introduced into the crucible so that a helium ion beam is used for critical dimension measurements to avoid sample damage during metrology.

(x) circuit editing

As previously described, the process of forming a semiconductor article generally involves stacking a plurality of different material layers in a desired manner and performing a suitable process on each layer. In general, this involves depositing material on a given layer and/or removing material from a given layer. The resulting semiconductor article includes many different features within different layers (eg, to form a desired circuit). In general, these features need to be properly aligned to cause the final device to function as desired. Alignment marks are commonly used for semiconductors Within the device to assist in aligning features within a given layer with features within a different layer. However, the use of alignment marks may add additional steps to the overall process and/or may introduce additional complexity or expense to the process. Furthermore, the presence of alignment marks at least indicates the presence of an area and/or volume of semiconductor articles that are not usable (eg, used to fabricate active components).

As described above, an ion beam can be used to investigate the subsurface area of a material. This feature can be used to determine the location of a particular feature within a layer below a surface layer, thereby allowing features within different layers of the semiconductor article to be aligned as desired without the use of alignment marks.

Gas field ion microscopes (e.g., helium ion microscopes) as described herein can be used to remove and/or deposit materials using, for example, the gas assisted chemistry and/or sputtering techniques described above (e.g., from a circuit). One advantage of using an ion microscope to perform these processes is that the ion beam can also be used to evaluate the resulting product to determine, for example, whether the desired material is properly deposited or removed. This can reduce the cost and/or complexity associated with device fabrication and/or increase the yield of device fabrication. Subsurface circuit repair can be performed in combination with the ability to remove and/or add materials. To repair a surface defect, the material from the device is first removed to a depth that exposes the defect. The defect is then repaired by adding or removing material from the device. Finally, the top layer of the device is repaired layer by layer by adding a new material of appropriate thickness.

The gas field ion microscopes described herein (e.g., helium ion microscopes) can provide particular advantages for circuit editing applications, including smaller spot sizes and lower ion currents for controlling and highly accurately editing fabricated devices.

(xi) reticle repair

Generally, a microlithography etching process is used to prepare a semiconductor Body: A photoresist layer (such as a polymer photoresist such as poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or epoxy-based photoresist, carbonic acid-diethylene glycol ester, or photosensitive glass) The material is patterned on a surface such that a specific region of the photoresist resists an etchant (and some regions are not resistant to an etchant), the photoresist is etched without etching the photoresist region, and a suitable material is deposited (eg, one or A plurality of electrically conductive materials, one or more electrically non-conductive materials, one or more semiconducting materials), and optionally undesirable regions of material are removed. In general, the patterning step involves exposing a radiation pattern at a suitable wavelength such that certain areas of the photoresist are resistant to etching and other areas of the photoresist are not resistant to etching. Forming the radiation pattern by forming an image of a reticle on the photoresist or covering a specific area of the photoresist with a reticle and exposing the uncovered areas of the photoresist through the reticle Formed on the photoresist.

Photolithographic etch masks used to fabricate integrated circuits and other microelectronic devices in the semiconductor industry may be fragile and/or expensive. In addition, the mask process can be time consuming and/or more precise. In some cases, manufacturing errors can result in reticle defects, although generally less of a heart during the manufacture of such reticle. In other cases, reticle defects may be caused by handling and general use. If such defective masks are used to create circuits or other devices, such circuits or devices may not operate properly. Assuming that the time and expense required to make a new mask, it may be more cost effective to edit a defective mask than to create a new mask.

Photomask defects typically include insufficient reticle material where there is too much reticle material in the reticle region where there should be no material and/or where material should be present. In either case, a gas field ion microscope (e.g., helium ion microscope) as described herein can be used to inspect and/or repair a reticle.

In some embodiments, a gas field ion microscope (eg, a helium ion microscope) as described herein can be used to inspect the reticle to determine if a defect is present and if a defect is present, the defect location is determined. Many of the features of the various advantageous features provided by gas field ion microscopes (e.g., helium ion microscopes) disclosed herein are desirably used for imaging reticle.

In a particular embodiment, the gas field ion microscope (e.g., helium ion microscope) can be used during the repair process, in addition to imaging the reticle during reticle repair. As an example, the gas field microscope can be used to position the reticle relative to a FIB such that the FIB can be used to add and/or remove material from the reticle using a gas surface chemical process and/or etch process such as described above. As another example, in addition to initially imaging the reticle to determine the presence and/or location of a defect, the gas field ion microscope can be used to add and/or reticle to the reticle using a gas surface chemical process and/or etch process such as described above. The reticle removes material. The gas field ion microscope can be used to perform specific repair steps (add material, remove material), and another instrument (eg, a FIB) for gas repair steps (adding material, removing material), as needed.

(xii) defect inspection

In general, during the manufacturing process of a semiconductor article, the object is inspected for potential defects. In general, this check is performed using a one-line tool that is always running and fed to the wafer and is fully automated. This tool is often used to inspect a small area of wafer for the presence of a defect area. Perform this check before the defect view (see below). Relative to determining the exact nature of a given defect, the goal of defect inspection is generally to determine whether a defect exists. During the defect inspection, one area of a wafer is analyzed to be relative to the same crystal Other areas of the circle and/or other wafer areas view the sample for specific anomalous characteristics (such as voltage contrast characteristics, topological characteristics, material properties). In general, for a potential defect, the coordinates (eg, X, Y coordinates) recorded on the wafer are examined and the position of the wafer is examined more carefully during the defect inspection.

The gas field ion microscope (e.g., a helium ion beam) described herein can be used to collect information about the same during defect inspection. Such microscopes can be used to obtain relatively high yields and higher quality defect inspections. The different contrast mechanisms provided by this gas field ion microscope (e.g., helium ion microscope) allow visualization of different types of defects and employ higher resolutions that are generally observable than with optical imaging techniques.

(xiii) defect inspection

In general, if there is a potential defect as recorded during the defect inspection, the sample is subjected to a defect inspection in which a sample specific area having a potential defect is investigated to determine the nature of the defect. Based on this information, a modification process can be implemented to reduce the risk of defects in the final product. In general, defect inspections are performed at slower speeds and higher magnifications than defect inspections, and can be automated or manually performed to obtain specific information about one or more defects. Use this information to attempt to understand the reasons for obtaining anomalous results during a defect inspection and the nature and cause of such defects that cause such anomalous results.

A gas field ion microscope (e.g., helium ion microscope) as described herein can be used to investigate a semiconductor article at various steps (e.g., each step) during the process. In particular, by detecting and analyzing a type of object or a plurality of different types of objects (as described above), the gas field ion microscope (eg, helium ion microscope) can be used to determine topological information about the surface of the semiconductor object, semiconductor object Material composition information of the surface, material composition information about the subsurface area of the semiconductor object, crystallization information about the semiconductor object, voltage contrast information on the surface of the semiconductor object, voltage contrast information on a surface area of the semiconductor object, and semiconductor object Magnetic information and/or optical information about semiconductor objects. The different contrast mechanisms provided by the helium ion microscope allow for the visualization of defects that would not be apparent with SEM-based techniques.

The use of the ion microscope or ion beam described herein can provide various advantages that generally reduce the time, cost, and/or complexity associated with semiconductor article fabrication. Exemplary advantages associated with the use of ion microscopes or ion beams as described herein include relatively high resolution, relatively small spot size, relatively small undesired sample damage, and relatively small undesirable. Material deposition and/or implantation, relatively high quality imaging over a relatively short period of time, relatively high yield.

(xiv) circuit test

During fabrication of a semiconductor article, the conductivity and functionality of one or more features of the article can be tested. This process generally involves exposing the (etc.) feature to the charged particles and then monitoring the rate of charge accumulation. Relative to a closed circuit, an open circuit will be charged at a different rate, allowing identification and consideration of an open circuit for more detailed inspection. A gas field ion microscope (e.g., a helium ion microscope) as described herein can be used to apply a charge to a feature using an ion beam and/or can be used to monitor whether a charge has been leaked (e.g., by monitoring voltage contrast characteristics). A first-class gun can be used to apply a charge (see below), as needed, and the gas field ion microscope can be used to monitor whether a charge has leaked (eg, by monitoring voltage contrast characteristics).

B. Corrosion of metals and alloys

Helium ion microscopes can be used to identify and inspect metal corrosion in a variety of devices and materials. For example, metal fixtures and devices used in nuclear power plants, military applications, and biomedical applications may be corroded by the harsh environment in which they are deployed. Helium ion microscopes can be used to construct images of these and other devices based on the relative abundance of hydrogen (H) in such devices as a reliable corrosion indicator.

In general, in order to construct an image based on scattered hydrogen ions or atoms, one of the detectors for the ions or atoms is positioned on the back side of the same object relative to an incident erbium ion beam. Exposure of the sample to the erbium ions produces scattered hydrogen atoms and ions in the sample, and the scattered hydrogen atoms and ions can be detected and used to construct an image of the sample. These hydrogen abundance images can then be used to assess the extent of corrosion within the image. The smaller spot size and interaction volume of the helium ion beam can result in obtaining a high resolution hydrogen image of the sample without damaging the sample.

C. Read/write structure for data storage

Read/write heads for magnetic storage devices such as hard disks are manufactured with extremely high tolerance and manufacturing defects must be checked prior to installation. These devices often have extremely high aspect ratios; the shorter side of such devices may be as small as 1 nm. Helium ion microscopes offer many advantages when used to image such devices during inspection. Among these advantages are smaller spot sizes and interaction volumes, which can result in higher resolution imaging of the tiny devices, a larger depth of focus, which allows for focusing the entire imaging along the longer dimension of the device. High aspect ratio devices, and information on materials provided by measuring scattered erbium ions and/or neutral atoms, used to confirm the proper connection of tiny circuit components.

D. Biotechnology

Usually a non-destructive technique is needed to decide about a creature Information on the elements and/or chemical composition of the sample. Examples of biological samples include tissues, nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, and cell membranes.

The gas field ion microscope (e.g., a helium ion microscope) described herein can be used to determine, for example, topological information about a biological sample, material composition information on one surface of a biological sample, and material on a secondary surface area of a biological sample. Form information and/or information about a biological sample. For example, the gas field ion microscope can be used to image immunolabeled cells and internal cell structures. The microscope can be used in this manner while providing the particular advantages described herein.

E. Medicine

Typically, a therapeutic drug (eg, a small molecule drug) will form a crystal (eg, when it precipitates a solution). It may be desirable to determine the crystalline structure of the crystallized small molecule, as this structure may, for example, provide information about the degree of hydration of the small molecule, which in turn may provide information about the bioavailability of the small molecule. In a particular example, the crystallization information can ultimately demonstrate that the small molecule is actually in an amorphous (relative to crystalline) form that can also affect the bioavailability of the small molecule.

Additionally or alternatively, a non-destructive technique is typically required to determine information about the elemental and/or chemical composition of a biological sample.

The gas field ion microscope (e.g., a helium ion microscope) described herein can be used to determine, for example, topological information about a biological sample, material composition information on one surface of a biological sample, and material on a secondary surface area of a biological sample. Form information and/or information about a biological sample. The microscope can be used in this manner while providing the particular advantages described herein.

Computer hardware and software

In general, any of the above methods of analysis can be implemented using computer hardware or software or a combination of both. The methods can be implemented using a computer program using standard stylization techniques in accordance with the methods and illustrations described herein. A code can be applied to enter data to perform the functions described herein and to generate output information. The output information is applied to one or more output devices, such as a display monitor. Each program can be implemented using a high-level procedural or object-oriented programming language to communicate with a computer system. However, the programs may be implemented in assembly or machine language as needed. In either case, the language can be a compiled or translated language. Moreover, for this purpose, the program can be run on a pre-programmed dedicated integrated circuit.

Preferably, each such computer program is stored on a general purpose or special programmable computer readable medium or device (such as a ROM or a disk) for reading the storage medium or device. Configure and operate the computer to perform the procedures described in this article. The computer program can also reside in the cache or main memory during program execution. The analysis methods can also be implemented as a computer readable storage medium, configured with a computer program, wherein the storage medium so configured causes a computer to operate in a dedicated and predefined manner to perform the functions described herein.

Other specific embodiments

Although specific embodiments have been described, other specific embodiments are possible.

As an example, an SEM can combine a gas field ion microscope for one or more of the foregoing specific embodiments. For example, an SEM can be used to generate secondary electrons, oujie electrons, X-ray photons, IR photons, visible light photons, and/or UV photons. An SEM can be used to facilitate gas assist, as needed Chemistry. The gas field ion microscope can be configured using any of the modes of operation described herein such that the SEM and the gas field ion microscope perform complementary functions.

As another example, although a W (111) tip has been disclosed, different crystallographic orientations of tungsten can be used for a tip. For example, a W (112), W (110) or W (100) tip can be used.

As another example, in some embodiments, the ion microscope (eg, a gas field ion microscope) can include appropriate components to allow the microscope to be used on-line for analysis of samples, such as samples associated with the semiconductor industry (eg, wafer samples) ). For example, in certain embodiments, a high speed carrier for a standard size semiconductor wafer can be used to automate the ion microscope. In some embodiments, the system can include a wafer stage capable of placing a portion of a wafer under the ion microscope at high speed. The ion microscope can also include a scanning system that is capable of scanning the metrology pattern at high speed raster. The ion microscope can also include a charge neutralization scheme to reduce sample charging as needed. The ion microscope can also include a wafer height control module for adjusting the working distance. In a particular embodiment, the system can be configured such that individual dies can be imaged (e.g., at a level of 50 mm).

example

The following examples are illustrative and not limiting.

1.

A 25 mm long emitter wire formed from single crystal W (111) (250 μm diameter) was purchased from FEI Corporation (Hillsboro, Åremont). The emitter wire was trimmed to a length of 3 mm and placed aside. Prepare a V-shaped heater as follows wire. A 13 mm long polycrystalline tungsten wire (180 μm in diameter) was purchased from Goodfellow (Devon, PA) and cleaned in distilled water by sonication for 15 minutes to remove carbon residue and other impurities. The wire was bent at its midpoint to form a 115 degree angle. The region near the apex of "V" was electrochemically etched in preparation for soldering in a 1 N sodium hydroxide (NaOH) aqueous solution at an applied alternating potential of 1 V at a frequency of 60 Hz for about 15 seconds. The heater wire was then taken out of the etching solution, rinsed with distilled water, and then dried.

The V-shaped heater wires are secured within a fixture to ensure that the ends of the wires remain coplanar. The emitter wire is spot welded to the V-shaped apex of the heater wire. Then, the two ends of the heater wire are spot welded to the two pillars of a support base of the type shown in Figs. 11A and 11B. The support base was purchased from AEI Corporation (Irvine, Calif.). The resulting assembly was then ultrasonically cleaned in distilled water and dried.

After the emitter wire is secured to the support pedestal and the support pedestal is cleaned, the end of the emitter wire is etched by an electrochemical process as follows. First, a photoresist material (such as Nail Oil from Revlon, Inc., of New York, NY) is applied to a 0.5 mm long emitter wire starting from the free end of the wire. A drop of photoresist was placed on the surface of a clean glass microscope slide and the wire was dipped into the photoresist solution ten times, allowing the photoresist to dry slightly between each impregnation. Care is taken to ensure that the upper boundary of the photoresist is a circular shape and that the circular plane is maintained perpendicular to the wire axis. After the end of the emitter wire was immersed in the photoresist material for the last time, the wire was allowed to dry in air for 1 hour.

The support pedestal to which the photoresist coated emitter wire is attached is then attached to an etch fixture comprising: (a) a transfer device for vertically translating the a support pedestal; (b) a disk; and (c) a counter electrode formed of stainless steel to minimize undesirable chemical reactions extending into the disk. The disk is filled with an etching solution to a level such that the solution contacts the counter electrode. Approximately 150 mL of solution is present in the etch fixture disk. The positioning of the support base is adjusted to ensure that the longitudinal axis of the emitter wire is approximately parallel to the vertical direction (e.g., the direction along which the transfer device translates the support base). The transfer pedestal is then lowered toward the disc using the transfer device until the exposed emitter wire just contacts the etch solution. A high magnification camera affixed to the etch fixture allows for easy viewing of the photoresist layer and the etch solution surface and allows precise positioning of the emitter wire relative to the solution surface.

Then, the wire was further lowered by 0.2 mm into the etching solution. In this position, the photoresist coated portion of the emitter wire is completely immersed in the etching solution.

The etching solution consisted of 150 mL of a 2.5 M aqueous NaOH solution. To promote wetting, a drop of surfactant (PhotoFlo 200, available from Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY) was added to the etching solution. The etching solution was also gently agitated using a magnetic stirrer during the etching process.

An external power source is coupled to the support pedestal posts and the counter electrode. The voltage maximum amplitude, pulse duration, and waveform shape of the external power source can be controlled to provide specific etching conditions within the etch fixture.

An alternating pulse sequence of 60 Hz frequency is applied to the emitter wire to facilitate the electrochemical etching process. First, a hundred pulses of duration 580 ms with an amplitude of 10 V were applied during a total time window of 5 minutes. The effect of these applied pulses is to increase the rate of the etching process. Start etching off the immersion solution The portion of the emitter wire that is in the liquid but not covered by the photoresist material. Since the emitter wire is positioned such that only a small uncoated region of the wire above the edge of the photoresist is immersed in the solution, it is observed that the emitter wire is locally etched in this region. As the electrochemical reaction proceeds, the diameter of the wire in this region begins to become narrower due to the etching process.

Next, the pulse duration of the external power source is adjusted to 325 ms, and sixty pulses of this duration are applied to the transmitter wire during a total time window of 5 minutes. The pulses further facilitate the electrochemical etching process, resulting in an etched region of one of the emitter wires having an extremely small diameter.

Finally, the pulse duration of the external power source is adjusted to 35 ms, and individual pulses are applied to the emitter wires until the etching is completed, and the photoresist coated portion of the emitter wires falls into the etching solution. The support pedestal was then removed from the etch fixture, rinsed with distilled water, and dried under a stream of nitrogen.

An SEM is used to inspect the emitter wires still attached to the support pedestal to confirm if the etched tip has the appropriate geometric features. An AMRAY Model 1860 SEM operating at 5 keV and having a probe size of 3 nm was used to image the emitter wire tip. The support base is mounted in one of the sample areas of the SEM on a manipulator that is equipped with a tilting and rotating manual table. An image of the source is obtained from several different viewing angles and magnifications to confirm whether the tip is approximately shaped correctly.

The SEM images are then used to characterize the average full cone angle, the average tip radius, and the average cone direction, as previously described for the tip apex of the wire. The images used for the measurements are at a magnification of 65,000X and are The transmitter wire is taken at a right angle to the right axis. The SEM sample manipulator is used to adjust the emitter wire tilt to ensure that the emitter wires are oriented orthogonally relative to the boresight. To average the tip cone angle, cone direction, and radius, the SEM sample manipulator was used to rotate the tip 45° between successive images (around the emitter wire axis). This point produces a set of eight tip images, each from a different angle, and then uses the images to determine the cone angle, radius of curvature, and cone direction of the tip.

Four images of the eight fluoroscopic images are shown in Figures 37A through 37D. The image coefficients of the SEM images were digitized into a bitmap format and then analyzed using a custom algorithm developed using the MathCAD software suite (PTC Inc., Needham, MA). . First, the images of the images are smoothed by applying a Gaussian convolution algorithm to reduce image noise, especially due to noise caused by SEM vibration during imaging. A filtering step based on a critical intensity value is then applied to each image of the image to reinforce the boundary between the tungsten tip and the black background. The tip boundary in each image is then determined to be a set of non-zero intensity points (X, Y) that form a boundary between the pixel corresponding to the tip and the image pixel corresponding to the black (eg, zero intensity) background. Such a set of points (X, Y) for one of these tip diagrams is shown in FIG. A set of similar boundary points is determined for each of the eight perspective views of the tip perspective.

Before calculating the slope of a given boundary curve, a smoothing algorithm is applied to the curve to ensure that the local slope of the curve is relatively insensitive to noise and other small signal changes. The smoothing algorithm substitutes the original data points (X, Y) into a fourth-order polynomial, which has been found to be used to illustrate the The shape of the tip. The effect of this smoothing algorithm is to ensure that on either side of the vertex position, the first derivative of this curve is not overly affected by smaller shape changes.

After this smoothing step, the slope dY/dX is calculated at each X point along a boundary curve for each illustration using a finite difference algorithm. Figure 39 shows a graph of the slope calculated along a plurality of points along the boundary curve as a function of X for the boundary curve shown in Figure 38.

For a particular tip representation, the position at which the slope obtains a zero value on the boundary curve corresponding to the icon is identified as the tip apex and assigned the label X _apex . The position closest to the tip apex, which gives a value of 1 on the boundary curve corresponding to the boundary curve of the point (X, Y), is assigned the label X ₊₁ . The position closest to the tip apex, the value of the boundary curve on the boundary curve corresponding to the point (X, Y), which gives a value of -1, is assigned to the label X _-1 .

These measurement points are then used to determine the geometric parameters of the tip. The tip left radius in a particular illustration is calculated as the absolute value of the difference between X ₊₁ and X _apex multiplied by 1.414. The tip right radius in a particular illustration is calculated as the absolute value of the difference between X _-1 and X _apex multiplied by 1.414. Then, based on the values of the left and right radii, the radius of curvature of the tip in a particular illustration is calculated as a averaging of the values of the left and right radii.

The calculation of the right radius, the left radius, and the tip radius of the curvature is repeated for each of the eight perspective views of the tip. The average tip radius is then calculated as the average of the tip radii of the curvature measurements in all of the tip plots. For the tips shown in Figures 37A through 37D, the average tip radius was determined to be 62 nm.

The standard deviation of the left and right radii of all tips is also calculated and expressed as a percentage of the average tip radius. For the tip shown in Figures 37A to 37D, centrifuge The rate is determined to be 11.9%.

The tip taper angle in each of the eight perspective views is also determined. As described earlier, in the boundary curve corresponding to each of the graphs, the left and right tangent points on the boundary curve are located on the left and right sides of the vertex of the tip, respectively, at a position 1 μm from the vertex of the tip measured in the Y direction. The tip left cone angle in a particular illustration is then determined as the angle between the line of the boundary curve at the left tangent point and the line parallel to the Y axis and extending through one of the left tangent points. The tip right cone angle in a particular illustration is then determined as the angle between the line of the boundary curve at the right tangent point and the line parallel to the Y axis and extending through one of the right tangent points. Finally, the full cone angle is determined as the sum of the number of the left and right cone angles.

The average full cone angle of the tip is then determined by calculating the average of the eight measurements of the full cone angle of the tip based on the eight tip perspectives. For example, for the tips shown in Figures 37A through 37D, the average full cone angle is determined to be 34.5.

For a particular tip representation, the cone direction is calculated as half the absolute value of the difference between the number of left and right cone angles. Repeating this decision for each of the eight graphical representations of the tip produces eight cone-direction measurements of the tip. The average cone direction of the tip is then calculated as the average of the eight cone directions measurements. For the tips shown in Figures 37A to 37B, the average cone direction was determined to be 2.1°.

A set of criteria based on measurements of average tip radius, radius eccentricity, average cone angle, and average cone direction is used to determine whether to accept a given tip for the helium ion microscope. In general, the standards are as follows. The tip is accepted for use in the following cases: the measured average cone angle is between 15° and 45°, the average tip radius is between 35 nm and 110 nm, the standard tip radius deviation for curvature measurement is less than 30%, and the average cone direction is less than 30%. 7°. Finally, as shown in Figure 37A The tip shown in Figure 37D meets the standards of these standards and is therefore accepted for this helium ion microscope.

After confirming the tip geometry, the tip is inspected in a custom built FIM. The FIM includes: a fixed area for the support assembly to support the tip, a high voltage power supply for biasing the tip, a picker adjacent the tip, and a detector for The ion emission pattern from the tip is recorded.

The picker is 5 mm away from the tip and has an opening of 10 mm. The picker is grounded to an external ground. The detector, a combined microchannel plate (MCP) and image intensifier (available from Burle Electro-Optics, Inc., Sturbridge, MA), was positioned 75 mm from the picker.

A support assembly including a tip is mounted within the FIM and the FIM chamber is evacuated to a background pressure of 1 x 10 ^-8 Torr. The tip was cooled to 77K using liquid nitrogen as a coolant. After temperature equilibration, the source was heated to 900 K for 5 minutes to release condensate or other impurities that had formed on the tip during processing. Heating the tip is accomplished by applying a current to the heater wire to which the tip is soldered. This current was applied using a power source (Bertan model IB-30A, available from Spellman High Voltage, Hauppauge, NY) with constant power capability. Temperature measurements were made using an optical pyrometer (purchased from Pyro, Windsor, NY).

Subsequently, the tip is allowed to cool again to 77K and the FIM picker is grounded and the tip is biased to +5 kV relative to the picker. High purity helium gas (99.9999% purity) was introduced into the FIM chamber at a pressure of 1 x 10 ^-5 Torr. The tip bias is progressively incremented to +29 kV until a pupil ion image corresponding to the helium ions exiting the tip is observed on the detector. The FIM emission pattern corresponds to approximately 300 atoms on the surface of the tip. Based on the FIM pattern, the single crystal composition and W (111) positioning of the tip were confirmed.

Next, the tip is sharpened to obtain a terminal atomic trimer at the apex of the tip. The helium gas is withdrawn from the FIM chamber until the background pressure in the chamber is less than 1.2 x 10 ^-8 Torr. The tip was then heated to a temperature of 1500 K for 2 minutes by applying a current to the heater wire as described above. Oxygen was introduced into the FIM chamber near the tip at a pressure of 1 x 10 ^-5 Torr. After 2 minutes, the tip temperature was lowered to 1100K. After two minutes at 1100 K, the oxygen supply was turned off and the tip was allowed to cool to approximately 77K. During cooling, about 15 minutes after the oxygen supply was turned off, residual oxygen was withdrawn from the FIM chamber until the background pressure in the chamber was less than 1.2 x 10 ^-8 Torr.

Once cooled to the liquid nitrogen temperature, the picker was biased as described above and the tip was again biased at +5 kV with respect to the picker. Helium gas at a pressure of 1 x 10 ^-5 Torr was introduced into the FIM chamber, and the FIM was again operated as described above to obtain a chirped emission image of the tip. The tip voltage is progressively increased until a bias potential of about +18 kV at the tip captures a FIM image of the tip.

In addition to the three atomic trimer structures required at the tip of the tip, the observed FIM pattern also includes atoms with attached atoms. The adsorbed atoms are slowly removed by field evaporation at a tip bias potential of +18 kV. During field evaporation, the tip image is periodically captured and monitored to determine when to stop the field evaporation process. The adsorbed atoms were removed one by one until a clear FIM image of one of the atomic trimers at the apex of the tip was observed. In addition to atomic terpolymers, A triangular pyramid ridge is clearly observed.

The atomic trimer is slowly removed by further field evaporation of the tip. The trimer atoms are removed one by one by slowly increasing the tip bias by more than +18 kV, resulting in a rounded tip observed in the FIM image recorded by the detector.

The tip bias potential was further increased to +28 kV. The field continues to evaporate the tip atoms during this process. At a bias potential of +28 kV, another atomic trimer is obtained at the apex of the tip. A FIM image of one of the second trimers is shown in FIG. After obtaining the second trimer, the tip bias potential is lowered to obtain the highest angular intensity in the FIM emission pattern. This occurs at a tip bias of +23 kV. The highest angular intensity is determined by adjusting the tip bias to obtain a maximum observed brightness of a selected atom in the FIM emission pattern. When the potential bias of the tip is adjusted, the bias at which the highest angular radiation intensity occurs is confirmed by measuring the erbium ion current from the trimer. The helium ion current is measured using a Faraday cup positioned within the helium ion beam path.

The tip is then passivated into an almost spherical end shape by slowly increasing the tip bias potential by more than +28 kV and evaporating atoms from the tip apex field. Field evaporation was continued until another atomic trimer was obtained on the tip surface at a +34 kV bias potential. To confirm the repeatability of the tip reconstruction procedure, the sharpening procedure was repeated twice more to obtain a new atomic trimer at the tip apex. After two consecutive trimer reconstructions, the helium gas supply was turned off, the applied tip bias was removed, the tip was allowed to warm to room temperature, and the FIM chamber pressure was slowly equalized to atmospheric pressure. The tip, still fixed to the support assembly, was stored on a shelf for 2 weeks until it was used in a helium ion microscope.

The support assembly including the tip is mounted in a helium ion microscope system similar to the system shown in Figures 1 and 5. The components of the system are configured as follows. The picker is positioned 1 mm from the tip and has an opening having a diameter of 3 mm. The first lens of the ion optics is positioned 30 mm from the picker. After passing through the first lens, the ions pass through the aligned deflectors configured as quadrupole electrodes. An aperture system having an opening having a diameter of 20 [mu]m is further positioned along the ion path to selectively block a portion of the ion beam. One of the intersections of the plasma tracks is located 50 mm in front of the aperture. The astigmatism corrector is configured as an octal electrode positioned behind the aperture to adjust the astigmatism of the ion beam. A scanning deflector, configured as an octopole electrode, is positioned behind the astigmatism corrector to allow scanning of the ion beam across the same surface grating. The second lens system is positioned 150 mm from the aperture and is used to focus the ion beam onto the same surface. The second lens is formed to form a top right-angled cone with a full cone angle of 90°.

Initially, the ion microscope system was evacuated such that the susceptor pressure in the tip region was approximately 2 x 10 ^-9 Torr. The tip was cooled to approximately 80 K using liquid nitrogen. The picker is grounded and then a +5 kV bias is applied to the tip relative to the picker.

The tip is heated by applying 8 W of electrical power to the heater wire until it illuminably illuminates (corresponding to a tip temperature of approximately 1100 K). Photons emitted from the illuminating tip are observed from one side of the ion optics using a mirror that is inclined at 45[deg.] with respect to a plane perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the ion optics. For this purpose, the mirror is introduced into the ion optics via one side of the ion row, just below the aligned deflectors. Tilt and offset repeatedly The tip is until the illuminating tip is aimed substantially along the longitudinal axis of the ion optics. When the illuminated tip appears as a source of dots, the correct alignment of the tip with the longitudinal axis is accomplished. In the case where the tip appears to be rod-shaped, the tip is misaligned.

The tip is allowed to cool while maintaining the tip at a potential bias of +5 kV relative to the picker. Once the tip has cooled to the liquid nitrogen temperature, helium gas is introduced into the tip region at a pressure of 1 x 10 ^-5 Torr. As described above, the ion microscope operates in SFIM mode to produce an image showing the chirped ion emission pattern of the tip. The image indicates the shape of the tip with atomic precision. The alignment electrodes are used to raster scan the ion beam generated from the tip over the aperture surface. Applying a sawtooth voltage function to each of the aligned deflectors of the aligned deflectors to achieve a raster at a frame rate of 10 Hz at a maximum voltage of 150 V with respect to the common external ground of the microscope system scanning. The raster scan pattern scans 256 points in each of the two orthogonal directions across the ion optical axis. The astigmatism corrector and the scanning deflectors are not used in this imaging mode.

To detect ions passing through the aperture, a copper sample is placed under the second lens and is positively biased by an MCP detector (+300 V relative to the external external ground) to measure the sample due to incident on the sample. The helium ions on the interaction interact with the secondary electrons of the copper sample. The detector is positioned 10 mm from the sample and oriented parallel to the sample plane.

The acquisition system samples the detector signal at each raster scan point and produces a SFIM image of the tip that is displayed on a monitor. To facilitate imaging, the potential of the first lens in the ion row is set to 77% of the tip bias. Then, as the tip bias increases, at a substantially constant magnification and The SFIM image is maintained at intensity. Upon viewing the SFIM image, the tip bias is slowly increased to eliminate undesirable adsorbed atoms and produce a tip of one atomic trimer at its apex. The trimer is removed by further increasing the tip bias potential to cause the field to vaporize the tip atoms. Field evaporation continues until a new atomic trimer is formed at the tip of the tip at an applied tip potential of +23 kV. The SFIM image produced by this tip is shown in Figure 41.

Turning off the alignment deflector, the astigmatism corrector, the scanning deflector, and the second lens (eg, at a zero potential relative to a common external ground of the microscope system), when the intensity of the first lens is modulated by 100V, One of the atoms of the terpolymer is selected and tilted and the tip is transferred. The microscope system operates in FIM mode and the detector collects FIM emission images of the tip. When the intensity of the first lens is modulated, the tip is repeatedly tilted and transferred until the center position of the tip on the FIM image changes from one image to another.

Next, the aperture is placed in position and the potential applied to the aligned deflectors is adjusted to control the position of the ion beam at the aperture. Portions of the ion beam passing through the aperture are imaged by the detector, and the detector images are used to repeatedly adjust the alignment deflectors.

The scanning deflectors are used to raster scan an ion beam that passes through the aperture above the surface of the sample. An identifiable, high contrast feature (a copper grid) on the surface of the sample (part number 02299C-AB, available from Structure Probe International, West Chester, Pa.) placed under the second lens The second electronic image of the feature is measured by the detector using the above configuration.

The intensity of the second lens is adjusted to approximate the ion beam Focusing on the surface of the sample; the potential bias applied to the second lens is approximately 15 kV relative to the common external ground. The focus quality is visually estimated from the sample images recorded by the detector. Aligning the ion beam with respect to the second lens axis slowly modulates the intensity of the second lens by a modulation amplitude of about 1% of a 1 Hz frequency and an operating voltage of the second lens and observes The displacement of the features is evaluated. Beam alignment in the final lens is optimized by adjusting the voltage of the aligned deflectors. The alignment is optimized when the center position of the image measured by the detector does not change significantly during the modulation of the intensity of the second lens.

Then, by adjusting the intensity of the second lens, the sample is imaged at a higher magnification such that the field of view on the sample is approximately 2 square μm. Focus asymmetry is minimized by adjusting the astigmatism corrector controls. Adjust these controls while observing the image and especially observing edge sharpness in all directions. The astigmatism correction is completed when the sharpness of the focused image is the same in all directions. In general, no more than 30 volts is applied to the astigmatism corrector to achieve this condition. At this point, the helium ion microscope is fully operational.

The operating microscope is used to image a variety of samples. Samples imaged by measuring secondary electrons are shown in Figures 42 and 43.

These imaging conditions include various ion beam currents (100 pA to 1 fA). The ion beam current is controlled by several methods. First, different apertures with different diameter holes are placed in place using an automated aperture mechanism. The pore size mechanism includes a pore size that varies from 5 μm to 100 μm in diameter. Second, the first lens focus intensity is adjusted to move the ion beam intersection closer to the aperture plane in the ion optics such that a larger ion current reaches the sample. anti- The first lens focus intensity is adjusted to move the beam further away from the aperture such that less ion current passes through the aperture. Third, the helium pressure in the tip region is increased or decreased, respectively, to increase or decrease the ion beam current.

The ion beam energy is typically selected for the optimum angular intensity, which is typically in the range of 17 keV to 30 keV. The ion beam energy should change over time as the shape of the tip changes.

The type of detector used and the detector settings are selected based on the type of sample being examined using the ion microscope. To measure the same secondary electronic image, an ET detector is used with a metal grid that is biased at approximately +300 V with respect to the common external ground. A scintillator inside the ET detector is biased at +10 kV with respect to external ground and adjusts the gain of the internal PMT to produce the largest possible signal unsaturation.

An MCP detector (available from Burle Electro-Optics, Inc., Sturbridge, MA) was also used to detect secondary electrons and/or scattered enthalpy from the sample. The MCP grid, front and back can be biased relative to the external ground. The gain of the detector is achieved by positively biasing the back side of the MCP relative to the front end. The general gain voltage is 1.5kV. A collector plate adjacent the back side is biased at +50 V with respect to the back side. From the collector plate, the detection signal is in the form of a small varying current superimposed on a larger positive voltage. To collect secondary electrons, the front side of the MCP and the grid are biased to +300V. To collect the scattering enthalpy, the front side and the grid were biased to -300V.

Adjust the raster scan speed as necessary to obtain the best imaging conditions for each sample. The residence time per pixel varies from 100ns to 500μs. In order to achieve a shorter dwell time, the noise is reduced by averaging multiple scans. This is done for continuous line scans and for continuous frame scans.

The image shown in Figure 42 is an image of a plurality of carbon nanotubes on a substrate. The image is imaged by detecting secondary electrons from the surface of the nanotubes. An ET detector is positioned 8 mm from the sample and 15 mm from the ion beam axis and oriented at a 20° angle relative to the sample plane. The 氦 ion beam current is 0.5 pA and the average ion beam energy is 21 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 200 [mu]s per pixel and the total image acquisition time was 200 seconds. The field of view of this image is 4 μm.

The image shown in Figure 43 is an image of an aluminum column on a substrate. The image is imaged by detecting secondary electrons from the surface of the nanotubes. An MCP detector of the type described above is positioned 10 mm from the sample and oriented parallel to the sample surface, biasing the grid and the front surface at +300 V with respect to external ground. The 氦 ion beam current is 0.5 pA and the average ion beam energy is 24 keV. The ion beam was scanned using a dwell time raster of 200 [mu]s per pixel. The field of view at the surface of the sample was 1 μm, which was obtained by applying a maximum voltage of 1 V to the scanning deflectors.

This tip is operated in a helium ion microscope for several weeks without the need to drain the system to service the ion source. As indicated by the SFIM image shown in Figure 44, as the trimer atoms are removed, the tip end form of the tip becomes more spherical, either intentionally or through normal use. On-site pyramid reconstruction (sharpening) is performed to sharpen the tip as needed by constructing a recipe using the same heat and oxygen as originally performed in the FIM. In general, each reconstruction process takes less than 5 minutes and can be used separately during this number of weeks. Overall, the tip was rebuilt more than eight times. An image of one of the reconstructed atomic trimers at the apex of the tip is shown in Figure 45. Show.

2.

A W (111) tip was attached to a support assembly and electrochemically etched according to the procedure described in Example 1. One of the SEM images of the tip is shown in FIG. The geometric characterization of the tip is performed in accordance with the procedure of Example 1. For this tip, the average tip radius is determined to be 70 nm. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

After confirming that the tip geometry is within acceptable limits, the source assembly including the etch tip is loaded into the FIM described in Example 1. The configuration of this FIM is the same as that described in Example 1, except the following. With respect to the skimmer, the potential bias on the tip is slowly increased until a potential + 21.8 kV. As the potential increases, field evaporation of the tip atoms occurs. After reaching +21.8 kV, the tip potential was reduced to +19.67 kV. The tip is maintained at this potential to obtain the tip FIM image as shown in FIG. Using this image, confirm the single crystal structure and proper positioning of the tip.

The tip is then sharpened to produce an atomic trimer at the apex. The crucible was withdrawn from the FIM chamber and heated by applying a constant current 4.3A to the tip for 20 seconds. A tilted mirror is used to view the tip, the tilted mirror being mounted within the FIM row and angled to redirect light propagating along the row axis to one side of the row. The eye cannot see any luminescence (such as photons emitted from the tip), so the tip is allowed to cool for 5 minutes. The tip is then heated by applying a constant current 4.4A to the tip for 20 seconds. The naked eye could not see any light, so let the tip cool for 5 minutes. The tip is then heated by applying a constant current of 4.5 A to the tip for 20 seconds. The naked eye can't see any light, So let the tip cool for 5 minutes. The tip is then heated by applying a constant current 4.6A to the tip for 20 seconds. At this temperature, a luminescence can be clearly seen from the tip. Thus, the current necessary to cause the tip to emit light is established to be 4.6A. The source was then allowed to cool for 5 minutes.

Next, a negative bias is applied to the tip while monitoring the electron emission current from the tip. The bias was continuously increased negatively until an electron emission current 50 pA from the tip was observed. The tip bias at this current is -1.98 kV. This bias is still applied to the tip and a heating current 4.6A is applied to the tip. The tip luminescence was again observed after about 20 seconds. After the tip illumination was observed, the tip was further heated for 10 seconds. The bias potential and heating current applied to the tip are then removed from the tip and allowed to cool to the liquid nitrogen temperature.

Once the tip has cooled, a positive bias + 5 kV relative to the picker is applied to the tip. Helium gas was admitted to the FIM chamber near the tip at a pressure of 1 x 10 ^-5 Torr. As described in Example 1, the FIM image of the tip apex is obtained. As the bias voltage increases, the FIM image is seen more clearly. The image in Figure 48 was observed at a tip bias of +13.92 kV. The image shows the ridge of a pyramid and a bright center apex corresponding to an atomic trimer.

Some of the emitting atoms of the emitting atoms on the tip are loosely bound to the adsorbing atoms and are removed by field evaporation of the tip atoms using increasing field strength. The tip bias is further increased and the first and second trimers are removed by field evaporation increased to +21.6 kV. After reaching this potential, the tip bias was lowered to +18.86 kV and the tip FIM image in Figure 49 was recorded.

Identifying the tip as feasible based on the criteria identified in Example 1 Removed from this FIM. After about one month, the tip was fixed in a helium ion microscope configured as described in Example 1. The trimer was reconstituted and evaporated several times in one of the processes as described in Example 1, except that no oxygen gas was used. Instead, the trimer reconstruction process relies on applying a specific negative potential bias to the tip (to generate an electron emission current of 50 pA) while using a 4.6 A current applied to the heater wire to heat the tip, thereby causing The heater wire is visible for 20 seconds. The tip is retained within the helium ion microscope and provides for more than four weeks of use without the need to drain the system to service the tip. During this time, the tip is rebuilt multiple times using a procedure involving a negative applied potential bias and heating, as described above. One of the tips of the reconstructed trimer SFIM image is shown in FIG.

An image of one of the semiconductor samples recorded using a helium ion microscope having this tip is shown in FIG. The sample includes aluminum metal wires deposited on the surface of a tantalum oxide substrate. An unknown coating is deposited on top of each of the materials.

A scan voltage having a maximum amplitude of 1 V was introduced to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 10 μm on the sample. The equipotentials of the first and second lenses, the alignment deflectors, and the astigmatism corrector are adjusted to control a portion of the erbium ion beam passing through the aperture and to control ion beam focus at the sample location The quality is as described in Example 1. The sample is tilted and rotated during imaging to reveal three dimensional nature and sidewall details.

The image shown in Figure 51 is recorded by measuring secondary electrons from the surface of the sample. An MCP detector is positioned 10 mm from the sample and oriented parallel to the sample plane. The MCP grid and front side are biased at +300V with respect to the common external ground.氦Ion beam current is 4pA and average ion energy It is 21.5 keV. The total image acquisition time is 30 seconds.

An image of another semiconductor sample taken using this tip is shown in FIG. The sample is a multilayer semiconductor device with surface features formed of a metal. The image is recorded by measuring secondary electrons that leave the surface of the sample due to interaction of the sample with the incident helium ions. A maximum scan voltage of 150 volts was applied to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 1.35 mm on the surface of the sample.

The sample is viewed from an upper top down view showing a number of features on the surface of the sample. To record the image, an array of MCP detectors with the grid and front side offset at +300 V relative to the common external ground is positioned 10 mm from the sample and oriented parallel to the sample surface. The 氦 ion beam current is 15 pA and the average ion energy is 21.5 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 10 [mu]s per pixel.

3.

The tips in this example were prepared and aligned in the helium ion microscope using one of the procedures described in Example 2. The geometric characterization of the tip is performed in accordance with the procedure of Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

By direct or extrapolated measurements, it is possible to obtain the same image system at a known beam current and up to a known acquisition time. The beam current was carefully monitored using a Faraday cup and a micro galvanometer (mode 487, Keithley Instruments, Cleveland, OH). The pressure in the tip region was also carefully monitored using a B-A ionization gauge (available from Varian Vacuum Inc, Lexington, MA). In a stage where the helium ion current is too low to be accurately measured (eg, less than about 0.5 pA), the ion current is based on The measured helium pressure is determined by extrapolation. The common helium pressure and the enthalpy ion current are linearly proportional to each other, and the linear relationship is consistent from one tip to the other.

The sample was a gold grid sample with one of the topological features (part number 02899G-AB, available from Structure Probe International, West Chester, Pa.). The sample is imaged by measuring secondary electron emission that exits the sample surface in response to incident erbium ions. To record images, a 40 mm diameter toroidal, mountain type MCP detector (purchased from Burle Electro-Optics, Inc., Sturbridge, MA) was positioned 10 mm from the sample and oriented parallel to the sample surface. The detector consumes a solid angle of about 1.8 steradian and is symmetrical with respect to the ion beam. The detector is directly fixed to the bottom of the second lens as shown in FIG. The front surface of the MCP is positively biased (+300V) with respect to the common external ground, and there is also a positive bias (relative to the common external ground) internal metal grid (+300V).

The average ion energy is 20 keV. The images of this sample were measured using ion beam currents of 1 pA, 0.1 pA, and 0.01 pA, respectively, and are shown in Figures 53, 54 and 55, respectively. The total image acquisition time is 33 seconds, 33 seconds, and 67 seconds, respectively.

For the first two images (Figures 53 and 54), the image size is 1024 x 1024 pixels. For the third image (Figure 55), the image size is 512 x 512 pixels. In each image, a maximum scan voltage of approximately 2 V is applied to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 20 μm on the surface of the sample.

In order to ensure that the scattered erbium ions and/or neutral atoms do not significantly act on the recorded images, the grid and MCP bias potentials were changed to -50 volts, and no signal was observed thereon. The noise content of the images is identified as being The same current, the same number of pixels, and the same total acquisition time are lower than the noise content obtained by the SEM image of the sample.

4.

A tip is secured within a support assembly and fabricated using the method of Example 1, except that within the support assembly, the two posts attached to the source base are pre-bent relative to each other, as shown in FIG. . This bending allows the heater wire to span a significantly shorter length. The heater wire is as described in Example 1, a polycrystalline tungsten wire having a diameter of 180 μm. In the case of such curved struts, a 5 mm heater wire is used. The advantage of a shorter heater wire length is that as the wire length decreases, the stiffness of a certain length of wire increases. The emitter wires are adhered in the usual manner, as described in Example 1.

By applying the same force to two different tips, one tip is fixed in a support assembly of the type described in Example 1 and the other tip is fixed in the support assembly as shown in Figure 56 to observe more Short heater wire hardness increases. The deflection of the two tips in response to the applied force is compared. Comparing the support pedestal of the type 1 of the example, the curved struts support the number of deflection factor 6 of the assembly. Therefore, the natural vibration frequency (about 4 kHz) of the curved strut-type support assembly is about 2.5 times higher than the natural frequency of the support assembly of the example 1. When excited at a vibration frequency substantially lower than the natural vibration frequency, the support base and the tip move in unison with a higher frequency (e.g., phase shift is ignored). When implemented in a helium ion microscope, the relatively low vibration of the tip within the curved strut source assembly reduces the likelihood that the plasma microscope image will have image artifacts (eg, ion beam landing errors) due to tip vibration.

5.

A tip was prepared according to the procedure described in Example 1, except that a different heater wire was used. The heater wire diameter used in this example is about 25% larger than the diameter of the heater wire in Example 1. Thicker heater wires are less compatible with vibratory motion because in general the wire stiffness increases with increasing diameter. In addition, the thicker heater wire is formed of a tungsten-rhenium alloy (74% tungsten, 26% niobium). The alloy wire resistivity was significantly higher than that of the tungsten heater wire of Example 1; the overall heater wire resistance was measured to be about 0.5 ohms. A suitable tungsten-rhenium alloy wire was purchased from Omega Engineering (Stamford, Connecticut).

The thicker heater wire increases the natural frequency of the support assembly (including the tip) from approximately 1.5 kHz (Example 1) to approximately 2.2 kHz (this example). When implemented in the helium ion microscope, the relatively low vibration of the tip in the source assembly and the heater wire assembly reduces the plasma microscope image to have a perceptible image artifact due to tip vibration (eg, ion beam landing) The possibility of error).

6.

A tip was formed by one of the processes described in Example 1, except that the heater wire was replaced by a pyrolytic carbon block (available from MINTEQ International Pyrogenics Group, Inc., Easton, Pa.). The pillars of the source assembly are curved and matched relative to each other to have parallel flat surfaces. To secure the emitter wire, the pillars are split and two pyrolytic carbon blocks are inserted between the pillars. The emitter wires are placed between the carbon blocks and the posts are then released. The compressive forces applied by the struts to the carbon blocks maintain the carbon blocks and emitter wires in position on the support assembly to prevent relative movement of the emitter wires relative to the support pedestal. One part of the support assembly (including the curved struts, the two carbon blocks and the emitter wires) are as shown in FIG.

The pyrolysis carbon block sizes are selected such that the carbon blocks and the emitter wire are in compression. The spacing between the curved struts was 1.5 mm without the placement of the carbon blocks. The carbon blocks each have a length of 700 μm in one direction between the two curved struts. The emitter wire has a diameter of 250 μm.

The pyrolytic carbon blocks are oriented relative to the curved struts to achieve maximum electrical resistance and minimum thermal conductivity (eg, the carbon planes within the pyrolytic carbon blocks are oriented approximately perpendicular to a line joining the struts). The resistance of the support assembly was measured at 1500 K as 4.94 ohms, which is greater than the resistance of the support assembly of Example 1 (0.56 ohms). The power required to heat the tip to 1500 K was 6.4 W (compared to about 11 W required to heat the tip to 1500 K in Example 1). The tip is relatively rigidly held relative to the source base due to the lack of a heater wire. The natural vibration frequency of the support assembly is greater than 3 kHz.

When implemented in the helium ion microscope, the tip in the source assembly (which is held in position by a compressive force applied to the pyrolytic carbon block on either side of the tip) lowers the plasma Microscope images have the potential to perceive image artifacts (such as ion beam landing errors) due to tip vibration.

7.

A tip was prepared according to one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened within the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. Of course The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure secondary electrons that leave the sample due to interaction of the sample with the incident helium ions. An MCP detector (similarly configured as the detector of Example 3) is used to record sample images.

The sample is a steel with a spherical shape and uniform composition. The helium beam current was 1.0 pA and the average ion energy was 20 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 10 [mu]s per pixel. The maximum potential (about 100 V) applied to the scanning deflectors produces a field of view of approximately 1 mm on the surface of the sample.

Figure 58 shows an example of this method. This image reflects the total secondary electron yield for this sample. This image reveals an increase in secondary electron yield at the right hand edge. This increased yield is due to an increase in the length of the ion beam path that secondary electrons can escape near the surface of the sample. This secondary electron yield was found to increase approximately in proportion to sec(α), where α represents the angle between the incident erbium ion beam and one of the normals of the sample surface.

The image of a second sample is shown in Figures 59A and 59B. The imaging conditions for the sample shown in Figure 59A are as described above in connection with the first sample in this example.

At an energy of 20 keV, the helium ion beam penetrates deep into the sample (about 100 nm) before significant divergence. Thus, the edges of the sample images show a relatively narrower bridge edge effect (eg, reduced edge sag). For example, the image in Figure 59A is recorded from the helium ion microscope and the image in Figure 59B is recorded using a standard SEM. In both images, the signal is only caused by measuring secondary electrons. In the SEM image shown in Fig. 59B, the SEM is in the SEM image. The subbeam energy is 2 keV and the ion beam current is 30 pA under imaging conditions.

It is observed that the edge of the bridge is slightly narrower in the helium ion microscope image, comparing the incident electrons, which is caused by the smaller interaction volume of the erbium ions on the surface of the sample. The helium ion beam remains relatively collimated as it penetrates the sample. In contrast, the SEM electron beam produces a relatively wider range of interaction volumes proximate the surface of the sample. Therefore, the secondary electrons generated by the incident electron beam are caused by extending a surface area of a few nanometers from the rated electron beam position on the surface. Therefore, the bridge edge effect of the SEM is substantially wider, as can be seen visually by comparing the images in Figures 59A and 59B.

To numerically compare the bridge edge effects in the two images, a line scan can be performed across a common edge feature in each of the images of the images. The results are shown in Figures 67A and 67B, which correspond to Figures 59A and 59B, respectively. The line scan area is 1 pixel wide and 50 pixels long. The intensity peaks within the line scan (which correspond to edge features) have a full width at half maximum (FWHM) that is 40% wider in the SEM image than in the corresponding erbium ion microscope image. As noted above, the reduced edge width observed in the helium ion microscope image relative to electrons is due to the smaller interaction volume of the erbium ions at the surface of the sample.

8.

A tip was prepared according to one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. Configured as described in Example 1. The microscope system, configuration changes are described below.

The microscope system is configured to measure secondary electrons that leave the sample due to interaction of the sample with the incident helium ions. An MCP detector (as described in Example 3) is used to record sample images.

Various examples are measured to quantify the secondary electron yield for many materials. Each sample consists of a piece of flat material to be tested. A wire mesh positioned above the sample at a distance of 2 mm has a low fill factor (e.g., most open space). A micro galvanometer (Keithley Instrument, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio) was used to measure sample current in conjunction with a Faraday cup that was integrated into each sample by fitting a trench into the surface of each sample.

Each experiment began measuring the erbium ion current by positioning the ion beam onto the Faraday cup in each sample. Next, the helium ion beam is raster scanned on the sample while a side bias is applied to the screen relative to the common external ground and the secondary electron current from the sample is measured.

The helium ion beam is deliberately defocused (to a spot size of 100 nm) to minimize any contaminants or charge artifacts. The screen bias potential is incrementally adjusted from -30V to +30V and the secondary electron current is measured for each bias potential. Each measurement was performed using a beam of ion beam energy of 22.5 keV and an ion beam current of 13 pA. The graph in Figure 60 shows the results for a single sample.

On the left side of the graph, in the case of negatively biasing the screen, all secondary electrons leaving the sample due to interaction of the sample with incident helium ions are returned to the helium sample. The helium beam current is approximately equal to the secondary electron current, thus producing free secondary ions and scattered helium ions that are ignored. To the right of the graph, in the case of a positive bias of the screen, all secondary electrons leaving the sample due to interaction of the sample with incident helium ions accelerate away from the sample. The measured sample current is the sum of the helium ion current and the secondary electron current. Based on these measurements, the secondary electron yield for a 22.5 keV enthalpy incident on one of the flat germanium samples (in a normal incidence mode) is about (44-13) / 13 = 2.4.

Under similar measurement conditions, a similar measurement procedure was followed for each material. The results are summarized in the table below.

The relatively large secondary electron yields and wide range of values for different materials illustrate the general observation that the cesium ions are based on secondary electron detection. Microscope images provide a better way to distinguish between different materials. As an example, Figure 61A is a secondary electron image of an aligned intersection on a substrate surface recorded using the helium ion microscope. A scan voltage having a maximum amplitude of approximately 1.5 V was introduced to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 15 μm on the sample. An MCP detector is positioned 10 mm from the sample and oriented parallel to the plane of the sample. The grid and front side of the MCP are biased at +300V with respect to the common external ground. The 氦 ion beam current is 5 pA and the average ion energy is 27 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 150 [mu]s per pixel.

Figure 61B is a SEM secondary electron image taken on the same feature. The SEM was operated under experimentally determined optimal imaging conditions with an electron beam energy of 2 keV and a beam current of 30 pA. Other beam currents, sweep speeds, and beam energies have been tried, but none provide a better contrast.

The helium ion microscope image shows a greater contrast between the different materials forming the alignment cross because the difference in secondary electron yield for an incident helium beam is greater relative to an incident electron beam. The two materials in the alignment intersection can be visually easily distinguished in the image of Fig. 61A. However, as qualitatively observed in Figure 61B, the two materials have similar secondary electron yields for the incident electron beam of the SEM.

9.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1 and characterized as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. Configured as described in Example 1. The microscope system, configuration changes are described below.

The microscope system is configured to measure secondary electrons that leave the sample due to interaction of the sample with the incident helium ions. An MCP detector (as described in Example 3) is used to record sample images. The front end of the MCP is biased to +100V with respect to the common external ground, as in the grid in front of it. In this configuration, the MCP is capable of collecting almost all of the secondary electrons that leave the sample due to the interaction of the sample with the incident helium ions, except for the secondary electrons generated in the region that is positively biased. The electrons return to the sample due to a positive voltage bias, rather than being completely released from the sample and detected by the MCP.

The multiple regions of the sample are positively biased while the positive charge from the incident erbium ion beam arrives and the negative charge leaves (secondary electrons). The amount of voltage bias caused by a given helium beam current on the sample depends on the capacitance and/or resistance of the exposed area of the sample relative to the surrounding portion of the sample. Depending on the capacitance and/or resistance characteristics of the sample, these differences cause different secondary electron collection for different regions of the sample. The detected secondary collection differences produced contrast in the sample images recorded using the helium ion microscope. In this way, the electrical properties of the sample are determined based on the secondary electron image.

In Fig. 62, the same secondary electronic image is displayed. The sample is characterized by a set of aluminum wires deposited on the surface of an insulating substrate. A scan voltage having a maximum amplitude of 3 V was introduced to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 30 μm on the sample. The 氦 ion beam current is 5 pA and the average ion energy is 26 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 100 [mu]s per pixel.

The sample image shows a series of bright, periodic aluminum lines. A series of darker lines are in the space between the bright lines. The middle bright in the image The line shows a clear border, outside which is a dark line. Based on the nature of the sample, the bright lines have a low resistance to ground or may have a very high capacitance to ground so that they are not substantially biased by the action of the helium ion beam.

The dark lines are positively biased under the influence of the helium ion beam, and thus the secondary electrons generated there are returned to the sample. In order to determine whether this effect is caused by the capacitance or resistance characteristics of the dark lines, the dark lines are observed under the helium ion beam for a period of time. If the effect is capacitive in nature, the lines are constantly dimmed over time.

The transition of the intermediate aluminum wire from bright to dark may indicate an electrical break on, for example, the wire. The bright portion below the line may not fully electrically contact the dark portion of the upper portion of the line.

Figure 63 shows an image of another sample recorded using the above measurement configuration. The sample includes lines and other features formed of copper on a substrate. The smallest feature is in the form of a letter ("DRAIN"). As observed by the observations (the top of each character appears bright and the bottom of each character appears dark), the positive potential bias on these features increases with the image acquisition process. The raster scan in this image is performed from top to bottom. Therefore, the biasing mechanism on the surface features of the sample is primarily capacitive.

10.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1 and characterized as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. Configure as described in Example 1. The microscope system, configuration changes are described below.

The microscope system is configured to measure secondary electrons that leave the sample due to interaction of the sample with incident helium ions. An MCP detector (as described in Example 3) is used to record sample images. The front end of the MCP is biased to +300V with respect to the common external ground, as in the grid in front of it. In this configuration, the measured signal is almost completely caused by secondary electrons. This point is confirmed by biasing the MCP front end to -300 V without changing the MCP gain and observing that the measurement signal is almost reduced to zero.

A scan voltage having a maximum amplitude of 3 V was introduced to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 30 μm on the sample. The 氦 ion beam current is 10 pA and the average ion energy is 22 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 100 [mu]s per pixel.

Imaging consists of the same three different layers. The topmost metal layer consists of patterned lines formed of copper. The next layer consists of a dielectric material. The bottom layer is composed of another different patterned metal layer formed of copper. The image of this example is shown in Figure 64. The image clearly shows that the topmost metal layer pattern is bright white superimposed on the gray image features corresponding to the bottom (subsurface) metal layer. This surface metal layer not only appears darker in the image, but also slightly blurred.

The measurement signal is caused by secondary electrons generated by both the scattering erbium ions and the neutral erbium atoms on the surface of the sample. This evaluation is confirmed by negatively biasing the MCP and the screen and noticing that almost no signal is detected. The secondary electrons exiting the sample due to the interaction of the sample with the incident erbium ions produce an image of the surface metal layer in FIG. The surface metal layer image has been worn The cesium ions that are incorporated into the sample and become neutral are produced. The neutral germanium atoms are scattered from the subsurface layer and a small portion thereof is returned to the surface where it produces secondary electrons as it exits. This point explains the blurred dim image of the subsurface features.

11.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure secondary electrons that leave the sample due to interaction of the sample with the incident helium ions. An MCP detector (as described in Example 3) is used to record sample images. The front end of the MCP is biased to +300V with respect to the common external ground, such as the grid in front of it. In this configuration, the measured signal is almost completely caused by secondary electrons. This point is confirmed by biasing the MCP front end to -300 V without changing the MCP gain and observing that the measurement signal is almost reduced to zero.

A scan voltage having a maximum amplitude of 15 V was introduced to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 150 μm on the sample. The 氦 ion beam current is 10 pA and the average ion energy is 21.5 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 100 [mu]s per pixel.

The imaged sample consisted of a piece of tungsten weld. The tungsten has been heated above its melting point and has subsequently cooled to form a different crystalline domain between the crystal particles There are steep boundaries. The sample is imaged by measuring secondary electrons that leave the sample due to interaction of the sample with incident erbium ions.

Figure 65 shows an image of the sample. This image shows particles that are significantly brighter and darker. Superimposed on this background is a bright image feature that spans several particles. These bright features correspond to surface topographical topographical patterns that enhance secondary electron generation due to the topological effects disclosed herein. The contrast image intensities of the various crystal particles are due to the relative positioning of the crystal domains relative to the incident helium ion beam. When the tungsten lattice is oriented in a particular particle such that the helium ion beam enters approximately parallel to a low index crystallographic direction, the scattering probability at the surface is lower, so that the ion beam penetrates deeper into the particle. Thus, the secondary electron yield at the surface of the material is relatively low and the particles appear darker in the image. Conversely, when the tungsten lattice system in a particular grain is oriented such that the helium ion beam is incident in a high index crystallographic direction, the probability of scattering at the surface of the particle is higher. Therefore, the secondary electron yield at the surface of the material is relatively higher, and the particles appear brighter in the image.

12.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms that are scattered from the same source as the incident erbium ions. An MCP detector (such as Fan Example 3) is used to record a sample image. The front end of the MCP is biased to -100V with respect to the common external ground, as in the grid in front of it. In this configuration, the secondary electrons do not reach the MCP due to the negatively applied potential bias. The signal measured by the MCP is caused by scattered erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms incident on the front side of the MCP.

A scan voltage having a maximum amplitude of 15 V was introduced to the scan deflectors to produce a field of view of 150 μm on the sample. The 氦 ion beam current is 10 pA and the average ion energy is 21.5 keV. The ion beam was raster scanned using a dwell time of 100 [mu]s per pixel.

The imaging samples were tungsten welded samples that were also examined in Example 11. As before, the tungsten weld includes different crystalline domains with sharp boundaries between the particles.

The sample is imaged by detecting the abundance of helium and neon ions incident on the MCP. One sample image obtained using this measurement procedure is shown in Figure 68. The image shows both bright and dark particles. For a particular crystalline particle, if the tungsten lattice within the particle is oriented such that the erbium ion beam is incident along a relatively lower index crystal direction, there is a lower probability of ruthenium scattering at the surface of the particle. Thus, ions penetrate deep into the particle before scattering occurs. Therefore, it is less likely that the helium ions (or the helium-neutral atoms generated when the helium ions combine an electron in the sample) leave the sample and are detected by the MCP detector. Particles having these characteristics appear darker in the recorded image.

Conversely, if the tungsten lattice is oriented in a particular grain such that the erbium ion beam is incident along a relatively high index crystallographic direction, there is a relatively high probability of erbium scattering at the particle surface. Therefore, the helium ions before scattering The penetration within the sample is relatively shallow on average. Thus, helium ions and/or neutral helium atoms are relatively more likely to leave the surface of the sample and be detected by the MCP detector. Particles with high exponential crystal orientation relative to the incident helium ion beam therefore appear brighter in the image shown in FIG.

Referring to the image shown in Fig. 65, the topological information in the image of Fig. 68 is significantly reduced because the image is recorded based on the scattered erbium particles rather than the secondary electrons. In particular, the series of bright lines appearing in the image in Figure 65 are largely removed from the image in Figure 68. The lack of topology information can make the image in Figure 68 relatively easier to translate, especially if the measured intensity in Figure 68 is used to quantitatively identify the crystalline properties (e.g., relative positioning) of the crystalline domains in the sample.

13.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms that are scattered from the same source as the incident erbium ions. A detector (a miniature MCP) is attached to the shaft of an electric motor. The front side of the MCP is covered with a copper strip to limit the MCP from measuring erbium ions and/or neutral atoms. A small circular aperture in the copper strip allows the scattering of erbium ions and/or neutral atoms to reach the MCP only if the particles fall within a narrow range of angles. In this example, the measurement of erbium ions and/or neutral atoms is limited to an angular range corresponding to 0.01 A solid angle of the spheroid. The copper strip and the front of the MCP are biased to -100V with respect to the common external ground so that secondary electrons will not enter the MCP detector.

The detector is positioned 30 mm from the sample. The motor allows the MCP detector to rotate relative to the sample to detect helium ions and/or neutral atoms exiting the surface of the sample at various angles. In general, for example, the motor allows the MCP to fully rotate approximately 180°.

The sample is a copper ball having a diameter of approximately 1 mm. The motor is positioned relative to the sample such that the sample is positioned along the axial direction of the motor shaft. Due to the surface shape of the sample, the copper ball sample provides scattered erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms at various angles when exposed to the erbium ion beam. That is, by scanning the incident erbium ion beam across the surface of the sample, various angles of incidence (e.g., the angle between the erbium ion beam and one of the normals of the sample surface) can be achieved. For example, at the center of the copper ball, the incident angle of the helium ion beam is 0°. At the edge of the ball (as viewed from the 氦 ion beam angle), the angle of incidence is approximately 90°. At a position intermediate the center and the edge of the copper ball, the angle of incidence is approximately 30° according to a simple trigonometry.

The sample is positioned below the helium ion beam and the detector is positioned relative to the sample, as described above. The helium beam current is 15 pA and the average ion energy in the helium beam is 25 keV. A maximum voltage of 100 V was applied to the scanning deflectors to achieve a field of view of 1 mm at the surface of the sample. The distance from the second lens of the microscope system to the sample (e.g., working distance) is 75 mm. This point provides sufficient open space to allow the MCP detector to rotate relative to the sample.

The measurements are performed by recording an image of the copper sphere while the detector is swept over a 180° angular range with respect to the sample in a half-sphere arc. The 氦 The ion beam effectively splits the surface of the sample into two sides, and due to the convex surface of the copper ball, the scattered erbium ions and neutral erbium particles can only be detected from the detector positioning side. Therefore, in FIG. 69A, the intensity profile of the sample image appears as a crescent shape, and the bright region on the left side corresponds to the detector position. The right side of the sample is relatively dark, and because the scattered erbium ions and neutral erbium particles leave the surface of the sample, the detector is unable to measure it in the direction.

A continuous image of the sample is recorded by incrementing the detector angle between the images. A total of 20 sample images were acquired across the scan range of the detector. Some images do not provide useful information because the detector is positioned such that it blocks the incident helium ion beam, thereby preventing helium ions from being incident on the sample surface. The images shown in Figures 69B and 69C correspond to the sample images recorded by the detector almost directly above the sample and on the right side of the sample. In Figure 69C, a one-month tooth intensity profile is observed which is similar to the profile observed in Figure 69A.

Based on the qualitative inspection of the recorded images, it is apparent that the image of the sample can be determined from the image measured by the detector at the off-axis position (e.g., Figures 69A and 69C). The information obtained from the measurements can combine the secondary electronic measurements of the sample to, for example, determine if the image contrast observed in the secondary electron images is due to the surface topology of the sample, or due to an additional contrast mechanism Caused by (eg sample discharge or material composition). In the case where the detector is in a known position, a ridge and a depression on the surface of the sample can be distinguished based on the recorded images. The smaller detector acceptance angle for each recorded image and the known position of the detector can also be used to measure the shadow length of the surface features in the image and utilize the incident 氦 ion beam relative to the surface features Knowing the angle determines the quantitative surface topography (eg, height) information for the sample.

The image of the sample also reveals that depending on the location of the detector relative to the sample, a particular edge of the sample exhibits a bright edge effect while the other edges exhibit a dark edge effect (see, for example, Figure 69A). This information is used to design a detector that is configured to reduce measurements from the same topology information. The detector is designed to balance the detection angles to provide an almost uniform edge effect. Therefore, the image of the same (for example, a copper ball) will appear brightly evenly, and the intensity change will be caused by the difference in sample material.

The image data recorded from the sample is analyzed to determine how the intensity of the selected region of the sample surface changes as the detector is scanned. The intensity change is caused by the angular distribution of the erbium ions and the erbium neutral atoms leaving the surface of the sample, and this analysis provides information about the angular distribution (sometimes referred to as the emitter leaf).

Figure 70A shows an image of the sample recorded by the detector almost coaxially with the incident erbium ion beam; that is, the detector measures the scattered erbium ions and neutral germanium atoms at an angle of almost 0°. One area of the sample surface (denoted as a rectangular box) is isolated in a series of images and further analyzed. In the pattern shown in Fig. 70B, the thicker horizontal line schematically represents the surface of the sample, and the thinner vertical line indicates the incident erbium ion beam. These points represent the average measured scattering enthalpy ion and neutral germanium atomic intensity at various detector locations. The points are plotted on a polar scale where the origin of the polarity curve is the point of incidence of the helium ion beam on the surface of the sample. The angular position of a given point corresponds to the angular position of the detector, and the radial distance from the origin to each point represents the average measured intensity at the particular angle detector position. Individual images of the sample (each corresponding to a different detector position) are analyzed to provide angular intensity data as shown in Figure 70B. Each point corresponds to an image recorded at a different detector location.

The polar lattice forms a map of the emission leaf. The pattern is approximately circular in shape (except that the detector blocks some missing points of the helium ion beam) and corresponds to a cosine distribution around the origin.

In FIG. 71A, an image of the sample is displayed having a superimposed rectangular box representing a different region of the sample, the region using a plurality of sample image analysis to determine the erbium ions and neutrality scattered from the sample. The angular intensity distribution of the atom. In this case, the scattering or emission angle is about 40° with respect to the incident erbium ion beam.

The polarity curve of the angular emission intensity shown in Fig. 71B is constructed in the manner described in connection with Fig. 70B above. The shape of the leaves at this angle indicates that the scattering/emission is guided preferentially away from the incident erbium ion beam.

This analysis was repeated over various regions of the sample surface (corresponding to various angles) to establish a relatively comprehensive description of the scattering of the erbium ions and the neutral erbium atom distribution as a function of the angle for the copper ball sample.

14.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms that are scattered from the same source as the incident erbium ions. An MCP detector (as described in Example 3) is used to record sample images. The front end of the MCP is relative to the shared external Ground bias to -300V, as in the grille on the front. In this configuration, the secondary electrons do not reach the MCP due to the negatively applied potential bias. The signal measured by the MCP is caused by scattered erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms incident on the front side of the MCP. From the sample point of view, the MCP detects erbium ions and germanium atoms in a solid angle range of about 1.8 spherical angles. The solid angle is symmetric with respect to the incident beam in azimuth, as shown in FIG.

From Example 13, the bright and dark edge effects observed for the copper ball sample provide information about the design and configuration of a detector for measuring the scattering of erbium ions and/or neutral germanium atoms. As with imaging, this information reduces the amount of topological information in the measured signals and more accurately reflects differences in material composition rather than local topological differences in the sample. For the MCP detector shown in FIG. 66, in the case where the MCP system is positioned at a working distance of about 25 mm from the sample, an image formed based on the measurement of the scattered erbium ions and the neutral erbium atoms is observed. A topology information is reduced.

Samples comprising different materials can then be imaged and visually reliably distinguished from one another. The same sample of four different materials (a nickel base layer, a carbon coating, a copper grid, and a gold wire) was imaged using the helium ion microscope. The helium beam current is 1.1 pA and the average helium ion energy is 18 keV. A maximum voltage of 4 V was applied to the scanning deflectors to achieve a field of view of 40 μm on the surface of the sample. The total image acquisition time is 90 seconds.

The resulting image is shown in Figure 72. Different intensities were observed for the four different materials in the sample. This point is due to the probability that the scattering of ions in one of the specific materials is dependent on the atomic weight of the material. In Fig. 72, it is even possible to distinguish materials having a similar atomic weight. For example, visually distinguish between copper (atomic weight 29) and nickel (Atomic quantity 28).

Figure 73 shows an image of one of a sample of a copper layer underlying a wafer, with an oxide layer overlying the wafer. The image was measured using a helium ion microscope system configured to measure scattered helium ions and neutral helium atoms, as previously described in this example. The sample includes surface structural features that are created by directing a laser incident on the surface of the sample. The laser causes an explosive eruption of one of the underlying copper layers. Visual inspection of the image reveals contrast (eg, image intensity changes) due to the presence of different materials in the sample. From multiple images (such as the image shown in Figure 73), the distribution of different materials in the same book can be determined.

15.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures of Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure photons emitted from the same source in response to the incident erbium ion beam. One of the images of the sample was constructed based on a signal generated by a photomultiplier tube (model R6095, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Toyooka, Japan). The photomultiplier tube has a terminal opening window, a relatively high quantum efficiency, and a broad spectral response from 200 nm to 700 nm. The tube is operated with a signal gain that can be increased up to 1200V, or until the output signal reaches the white noise level of the signal chain without excessive saturation. Degree. The photomultiplier tube was positioned 15 mm from the sample and oriented to face the sample. In this configuration, the tube is oriented at a solid angle of approximately 2 steradian.

The photomultiplier tube detector was used to image a sample of sodium chloride (NaCl). For these measurements, the helium beam current was 10 pA and the average helium ion energy was 25 keV. The sample was raster scanned using a dwell time of 500 [mu]s per pixel. A maximum voltage of 150 V was applied to the scanning deflectors to produce a field of view of 1.35 mm at the surface of the sample.

An image of this sample is shown in Figure 74. Image contrast (such as image intensity changes) is more pronounced in different NaCl crystals. Photons can be generated in the sample via two different mechanisms. First, photons can be generated via a procedure similar to that observed in SEM images. In this mechanism, the atoms of the sample are excited to a higher energy state. Photons are emitted during subsequent de-excitation procedures. Photons are emitted when helium ions from the incident ion beam return to a low bit energy state.

Other examples that have been exposed to the erbium ion beam and from which photons have been detected include plastics, scintillators, and organic materials.

16.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures of Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The tip is biased at +19 kV with respect to the skimmer and introduces helium gas near the tip at a pressure of 2 x 10 ^-5 Torr. Placing a Faraday cup out of the second lens and using the first lens and the alignment deflector to focus the beam such that substantially all of the erbium ions from one of the tip trimer atoms pass through The pore size (600 [mu]m in diameter, located 370 mm from the tip), and the pore size prevents substantially all of the cerium ions originating from the other two trimer atoms. After passing through the aperture, the first lens focuses the helium ion beam within the Faraday cup. In this configuration, the astigmatism corrector, the scanning deflectors, and the second lens are turned off.

A total cesium ion current derived from the tip atom was measured to be 300 pA using a micro galvanometer (Model 487, Keithley Instruments, Cleveland, Ohio) and the Faraday cup. The Faraday cup is a cylindrical metal cup having a depth to diameter ratio of about 6 to 1.

Thereafter, the first lens is closed. The helium ions of the helium ions generated at the tip continue to travel in a straight line and diverge from the tip. The aperture intercepts most of the helium ion beam and allows only a smaller central portion thereof to pass further through the other portion of the ion row. The Faraday cup is used to detect the erbium ion portion passing through the aperture, producing a measured erbium ion current 5 pA through the aperture. The angular intensity of the helium ion beam is calculated as the beam current through the aperture (5 pA) divided by the solid angle of the aperture from the tip angle. The tip angle of the tip apex and the cone formed by the aperture is calculated as tan ^-1 (0.300/370) = 0.046° = 8.1 × 10 ^-4 radians. The corresponding solid angle system is calculated to be 2.1 × 10 ^-6 spherical angle (sr). Based on the solid angle, the angular intensity of the erbium ion beam was determined to be 2.42 μA/sr.

The brightness of the helium ion source is determined by the intensity of the helium ion beam angle and the size of the virtual source. The size of the virtual source is sharpened by checking the tip Estimated by one of the tip's FIM images recorded during the end. According to this image, it is apparent that the individual ionized disks corresponding to the pointed trimer atoms do not overlap. Furthermore, it is known from tungsten crystallography that these trimer atoms are separated by about 5 angstroms. Thus, the actual ionized disc is estimated to have a diameter of approximately 3 angstroms.

The virtual source size is generally smaller than the actual ionized area. The virtual source size is determined using the general procedure described above: once the ions exceed the electric field region of the ion source (e.g., at the tip and the region near the extractor), a progressive orbit of 100 helium ions is projected by the back. The back projection tracks move closer to each other until they pass through a spatial region in which they are closest spaced relative to each other and then diverge again. The circular diameter closest to the spacing of the back projection tracks is defined as the virtual source size.

As an upper limit, we use a value of 3 angstroms for the diameter of the virtual source. Where the microscope system is configured to allow only a portion of the helium ion beam originating from a single tip atom to pass through the aperture, the virtual source size can be considerably smaller. This brightness is calculated by dividing the angular intensity by the virtual source size area A, ie (A = π(D/2) ² ). The ion source has a luminance of 3.4 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr.

The reduced brightness is calculated by dividing the brightness by the voltage used to extract the ion beam (e.g., the voltage bias applied to the tip). The tip to picker voltage was 19 kV and the reduced brightness was 1.8 x 10 ⁹ A/m ² srV.

The spread is measured as one of the products of the virtual source size of the ion beam and its angular divergence (as a solid angle). Using the brightness determined above, the spread is determined to be 1.5 × 10 ^-21 cm ² sr.

The reduced spread is multiplied by the spread of the erbium ion beam voltage. Based on the above calculated spread, the reduced spread (using a tip bias voltage of +19 kV) was determined to be 2.8 x 10 ^-17 cm ² srV.

17.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure secondary electrons using an ET detector. The detector is positioned vertically 10 mm from the sample (parallel to the helium ion beam), laterally 25 mm away from the sample, and tends to the sample. The ET screen is biased at a potential of +300 V with respect to the common external ground.

The 氦 ion beam current is 1 pA and the average ion energy in the erbium ion beam is 22 keV. The helium ion beam is raster scanned across the surface of the sample using a dwell time of 100 [mu]s per pixel. A maximum voltage of 100 mV was applied to the scanning deflectors to produce a field of view of 1000 nm at the surface of the sample.

The sample included gold islands formed on the surface of a carbon substrate and was purchased from Structure Probe Inc. (West Chester, Pa.). An image of one of the samples recorded using the above measurement configuration is shown in FIG. One of the sample images (represented as a rectangle superimposed on the image in Fig. 75) was selected to check the quality of the edge contrast observed using the helium ion microscope. The area designated as a rectangle includes an almost vertical gold edge. This area consists of 20 columns with 57 pixels each. An expanded view of one of the selected regions is shown in FIG.

The selected image areas of each column are analyzed individually as follows. First, to reduce noise, the MathCAD ksmooth function (PTC, Needham, Massachusetts) was used to smooth the columns using a Gaussian convolution with a bandwidth of 3 pixels. Figure 77 shows a graph on which pixel intensity values for a particular line (line #14) before smoothing (dot) and after smoothing (curves) are plotted. The vertical axis corresponds to the image intensity and ranges from 0 (black) to 255 (white). The horizontal axis corresponds to the number of pixels, and the range varies from 0 (left edge) to 57 (right edge).

For each intensity line scan in a selected region of the image, the center of the left to right light and dark transition is determined by looking for the minimum of the first derivative of the intensity line scan. For edges having a left to right dim transition, the transition center has been found by determining the maximum position of the first derivative of the intensity line scan.

Then fine tune each line to exactly contain 21 pixels. The trimming operation causes the transition point to remain in each line, 10 pixels before the transition point, and 10 pixels after the transition point. The intensity values for the first five pixels within each trim line are averaged together and the average is identified as a 100% value. The intensity values for the last five pixels within each trim line are averaged together and the average is identified as a 0% value. The smooth data from each line scan is then rescaled based on the 100% and 0% values. The rescaled data from Figure 77 is shown in Figure 78.

Referring to Figure 78, these 75% and 25% values are determined with reference to the 0% and 100% values. The spot size of the helium ion beam is then determined to be a separation along the horizontal axis between the 25% and 75% values. Based on the information in Fig. 78, the spot size is determined to be 3.0 pixels. The pixel size is converted to nanometers using the field of view known in the measurement configuration and the number of pixels in the image. For this measurement, the field of view is 641 Nm, and there are 656 pixels across the field of view. Therefore, the spot size of the erbium ion beam is determined to be 2.93 nm. This point is repeated for each of the 20 lines in the selected region of the image, and the results are averaged to produce an average 氦 ion beam spot size of 2.44 nm.

18.

A tip was prepared following one of the procedures described in Example 1, and the characterization of the geometric tip characteristics was performed as described in Example 1. This tip can be used based on the criteria in Example 1.

The tip was sharpened in the FIM using the procedure described in Example 1. The tip is then mounted and configured within the helium ion microscope. The microscope system was configured as described in Example 1, and the configuration changes were as follows.

The microscope system is configured to measure scattered erbium ions and neutral erbium atoms in response to incident erbium ions exiting the same surface. One of the MCP detectors as described in Example 3 is positioned 10 nm from the sample. A 0V potential bias with respect to the external ground is applied to the MCP grid and the front side.

The helium beam current is 1 pA and the average helium beam energy is 26 keV. The helium ion beam is raster scanned on the surface of the sample using a dwell time of 100 [mu]s per pixel. A maximum potential of 1.30 V was applied to the scanning deflectors to produce a field of view of 13 μm at the surface of the sample.

The sample, which includes a wafer substrate with surface features formed of polysilicon, is called Metrocal and is available from Metroboost Corporation (Santa Clara, Calif.). The sample is positioned such that the helium ion beam is incident at an angle normal to the surface of the sample. The sample is biased to +19.4 kV with respect to the common external ground, so the helium ions in the incident ion beam arrive at a landing energy of 6.6 keV. The sample. A large electric field between the sample and the MCP detector prevents secondary electrons from reaching the detector. Under the influence of the electric field, substantially all of the secondary electrons leaving the sample are returned to the surface of the sample. Therefore, the MCP detector measures scattered erbium ions and neutral atoms. The detector detects that the neutral helium atom has a maximum energy of 6.6 keV, and the helium ion measured by the detector accelerates to a maximum energy of 26 keV until it reaches the MCP.

Figure 79 shows an image of a sample recorded using the above measurement configuration. The various features on the surface of the sample have a relatively uniform measured intensity and are different from the strength of the substrate. Visual inspection of the edges of the surface features reveals that there are no significant bright edge effects (e.g., edge scatter) that can cause signal chain saturation and make the location of the edge difficult to find. In addition, there is no visual evidence of charge artifacts on the surface of the sample, and such artifacts, if any, will appear as voltage contrast in the image.

A horizontal line scan through one of the sample surface features is shown in FIG. The horizontal axis of the line scan shows the number of pixels, while the vertical axis indicates the measured image intensity at a particular pixel. For comparison purposes, at a magnification of 30,000X (corresponding to a field of view of approximately 13 μm), using a beam of energy of 3 keV and a beam of current of 30 pA, in a Schottky field emission SEM (AMRAY Model 1860) Imaging the same sample. The resulting image is shown in Figure 81, and a horizontal scan line through the same features scanned in Figure 80 is shown in Figure 82.

The line scan in Figure 82 shows a distinctly bright edge effect where the signal chain at the edges of the imaging surface features is almost saturated. In the body of the surface feature, the SEM line scan does not exhibit a relatively uniform steady state intensity level. Instead, the intensity level within the feature body is either reduced or at the center of the feature A small area in the area increases everywhere. Finally, the asymmetry of the SEM line scan indicates that time dependent charging of the surface features is occurring during SEM exposure. In contrast, line scan images that detect features recorded by scattered erbium ions and neutral germanium atoms show a marginal effect of considerable reduction without any significant charge artifacts.

Multiple measurements of a particular feature on the surface of the sample may also have been performed. If multiple measurements of a feature are performed, statistics regarding the size of the measured feature may be determined. For example, the average feature width, the standard deviation of the feature width, and/or the average and standard deviation of the first edge and/or the second edge of the feature may have been measured. A Fourier method can also be used to analyze the position of the edges of one or more features to determine the frequency spectrum of the spatial wavelengths corresponding to the edge shapes.

19. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample is mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope is configured to expose a 100 μm ² FOV on the surface of the sample to a helium ion beam having a beam current of 1 pA, an average ion energy of 20 keV and on the surface of the sample. The FOV is 0.1% of a beam spot size.

In order to measure the crystallization information of the sample, the erbium ion beam is scanned by a discrete step grating on the FOV region of the sample surface. A two-dimensional detector is used to capture an image of the erbium ions scattered from the surface of the sample at each step. Each two-dimensional image corresponds to a Kikuchi pattern at a particular location on the surface of the sample. Based on the daisy pattern, the crystal structure, lattice spacing, and crystal positioning of the sample at that location can be determined. A complete map of one of the surface crystal structures of the sample is obtained by measuring the Kikuchi pattern throughout the FOV in discrete steps.

To measure topological information of the sample, a detector is configured to measure the total intensity of one of the secondary electrons from the sample generated in response to the incident erbium ion beam. The helium ion beam is raster scanned in discrete steps over the entire FOV region of the sample surface, the total secondary electron intensity being measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample surface. The measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity value is used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the grayscale at a particular image pixel is corrected by a secondary electron at a corresponding ion beam position on the sample. The strength is determined. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

20. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample is mounted in position in a gas field ion microscope as described herein on a sample holder. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

In order to measure the crystallization information of the sample, the erbium ion beam is scanned by a discrete step grating on the FOV region of the sample surface. A detector is used to measure the total abundance of one of the scattered erbium ions as a function of the position of the erbium ion beam on the surface of the sample. The measured total abundance value is used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the gray level at a particular image pixel is determined by the total measured abundance of the helium ions at a corresponding helium ion beam position on the sample. . Differently oriented crystal particles at the surface of the sample have different scattering yttrium ion yields, while the image shows differently oriented crystal particles as variable gradations. Using the information in this image, crystal particles and particle boundaries can be identified on the surface of the sample.

To measure the topology information of the sample, measure as described in Example 19. Total secondary electron strength. This measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to secondary electron intensity measurements due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity value is used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the grayscale at a particular image pixel is corrected by a secondary electron at a corresponding ion beam position on the sample. The strength is determined. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

21. Measurement of the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample is mounted in position in a gas field ion microscope as described herein on a sample holder. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

In order to measure the crystallization information of the sample, the erbium ion beam is scanned by a discrete step grating on the FOV region of the sample surface. A detector is used to measure the total abundance of one of the scattered erbium ions as a function of the position of the erbium ion beam on the surface of the sample. The measured total abundance value is used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the gray level at a particular image pixel is determined by the total measured abundance of a corresponding 氦 ion beam position 氦 ion on the sample. . Differently oriented crystal particles at the surface of the sample have different scattering yttrium ion yields, while the image shows differently oriented crystal particles as variable gradations. Using the information in this image, crystal particles and particle boundaries can be identified on the surface of the sample. Once the particle boundaries on the surface of the sample have been identified, the helium ion beam is scanned from one particle to another on the surface of the sample. At each location of the helium ion beam, a two-dimensional detector is used to capture an image of the helium ions scattered from the surface of the sample. For a particular crystal particle at the surface of the sample, each two-dimensional image corresponds to a Kikuchi pattern. Based on the Kikuchi pattern, the crystal structure, lattice spacing and crystal setting of the particles can be determined. Bit. A complete map of one of the surface crystal structures of the sample is obtained in a short time by measuring a single Kikuchi pattern for each particle throughout the FOV rather than at each pixel.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total secondary electron intensity was measured as described in Example 19. This measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to secondary electron intensity measurements due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used for one of the gray scale images of the sample, wherein the gray level at a particular image pixel is corrected twice by a corresponding 氦 ion beam position on the sample The strength of the electron is determined. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

22. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 19.

To measure topological information of the sample, a detector is configured to measure the total intensity of one of the secondary electrons from the sample generated in response to the incident erbium ion beam. The sample is tilted relative to the helium ion beam such that the helium particle beam is incident on the sample surface at a non-perpendicular angle. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface and the total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the surface of the sample. This measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to secondary electron intensity measurements due to changes in crystal structure in the sample. The corrected total intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the grayscale at a particular image pixel is corrected by a secondary electron at a corresponding ion beam position on the sample. It The total strength is determined. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV. Tilting the sample relative to the helium ion beam reveals topological information that would otherwise remain hidden if the helium beam was incident on the sample surface only at a vertical angle.

Optionally, the sample tilt can then be adjusted such that the helium ion beam is incident on the sample surface at a different non-perpendicular angle, and the helium ion beam is raster scanned in discrete steps over the entire FOV region of the sample surface. The total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the surface of the sample, and the measured crystal information is used to remove the secondary electron intensities caused by changes in crystal structure in the sample. The contribution of measurement. The corrected secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a second grayscale image of the sample, which corresponds to a second non-normal incidence angle of the erbium ion beam, wherein the gradation at a particular image pixel is Determined by the total intensity of the corrected secondary electrons at a corresponding 氦 ion beam position on the sample. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

23. Measurement of the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 20.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. The measured crystallization information is then used to remove the use of each ion beam due to changes in crystal structure in the sample. Contribution of secondary electron intensity measurements at the incident angle. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

24. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 192.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 21.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. The measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement using the angle of incidence of each ion beam due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

25. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 19.

In order to measure the topology information of the sample, two or more detectors are configured to measure the total secondary electron intensity from the sample generated by the incident ion beam, and each detector is one with respect to the sample. Different angles and positions Orientation. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the total secondary electron intensity is measured by each detector as a function of the position of the helium ion beam at the surface of the sample. The measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total intensity values are used to construct a series of grayscale images of the sample, each image corresponding to one of the detectors, wherein the gray level at a particular pixel within a particular image is A corresponding one of the samples is determined by the corrected total secondary electron intensity at the position of the erbium ion beam. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

26. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 20.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

27. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

In order to measure the same topological and crystalline information, the sample is One of the gas field ion microscopes described herein is fixed in position on the same holder. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 21.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured crystallization information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to crystal structure changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

28. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 19.

To measure topological information of the sample, it is configured to measure one of the detector ions of the helium ion to detect helium ions scattered from the surface of the sample at a larger scattering angle. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the total helium ion abundance is measured by the detector as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the surface of the sample. The total abundance values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the grayscale at a particular image pixel is the total measured scattering 氦 ion abundance at a corresponding 氦 ion beam position on the sample Degree to decide. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

29. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 20.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

30. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

31. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 19.

To measure topological information of the sample, two or more detector system locations for measuring helium ions are configured to detect helium ions scattered from the surface of the sample at a larger scattering angle. The erbium ion beam is scanned by a discrete step grating on the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the total cesium ion abundance is measured by the detectors of the detectors as the erbium ion beam on the surface of the sample One of the functions of the location. The total abundance values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, which corresponds to each detector of the detectors, wherein the gray level at a particular image pixel is The total measured scattering enthalpy ion abundance at the position of the erbium ion beam on the sample is determined. The information from the plurality of images measured by the detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

32. Measuring the same topology and crystallization information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 20.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

33. Measuring the same topological and crystalline information

To measure the same topology and crystallization information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

The crystallization information of the sample was measured as described in Example 21.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

34. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

In order to measure the material information of the sample, it is configured to measure the detector position of one of the cesium ions to detect the erbium ions scattered back from the sample. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the total backscattered helium ion abundance is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam at the surface of the sample. The total backscattered helium ion abundance measurements are used to construct the A grayscale image of a sample in which the gray level at a particular image pixel is determined by the total measured backscattered erbium ion abundance at a corresponding ion beam position on the sample. Since the erbium ion scattering cross section is roughly determined by the square of the atomic weight of the scattering atoms, these intensities in the image can be used to quantitatively determine the composition of the sample.

To measure topological information for the sample, a total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample, as described in Example 19. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the total secondary electron intensity measurement due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the image, wherein the grayscale at a particular image is determined by the corrected total intensity values. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

35. Measurement of the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 34, the same material information can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total secondary electron intensity from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement using the angle of incidence of each ion beam due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

36. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 34, the same material information can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

37. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 34, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

38. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 34, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

39. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

To measure material information from the sample, it is configured to measure energy of one of the erbium ions and angular resolution detector positioning to detect defects from the sample. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the energy and angle of the scattered helium ions are measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam at the surface of the sample. Based on the average angle and energy of the scattered erbium ions, the mass of the scatter atoms can be determined and the composition of the sample can be determined.

To measure topological information for the sample, a total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample, as described in Example 19. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the total secondary electron intensity measurement due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the image, wherein the grayscale at a particular image is determined by the corrected total intensity values. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

40. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 39, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. Then use the measured material information To remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement using the incident angle of each ion beam due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

41. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 39, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

42. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 39, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

43. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 39, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

44. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

To measure material information, an x-ray detector can be used to detect x-rays that are formed from the sample by the incident ion beam. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface and the x-ray emission spectrum is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam at the surface of the sample. The particular emission line in the x-ray spectrum is specific to a particular atom type, so based on the measured x-ray spectrum, the composition at each step on the surface of the sample is determined.

To measure topological information for the sample, a total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample, as described in Example 19. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the total secondary electron intensity measurement due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the image, wherein the grayscale at a particular image is determined by the corrected total intensity values. The image provides topology information that is displayed on the sample surface topography of the FOV.

45. Measuring the same topology and material information

In order to measure the same topology and material information, the sample is One of the gas field ion microscopes described herein is fixed in position on the same holder. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. This measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to secondary electron intensity measurements using the incident angle of each ion beam due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

46. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

47. Measuring the same topology and material information

In order to measure the same topology and material information, the sample is One of the gas field ion microscopes described herein is fixed in position on the same holder. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

48. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

49. Measurement of the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

To measure material information, a photon detector can be used to detect photons formed by the incident ion beam from the sample. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface and the photon emission spectrum is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam at the surface of the sample. The particular emission line in the spectrum is specific to a particular atom type, so based on the measured spectrum, the composition at each step on the surface of the sample is determined.

To measure topological information for the sample, a total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample, as described in Example 19. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the total secondary electron intensity measurement due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electricity The sub-intensity value is used to construct a grayscale image of the image, wherein the gray level at a particular image is determined by the corrected total intensity values. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

50. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at the incident angle of each ion beam due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

51. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct The grayscale image of the sample is as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

52. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

53. Measurement of the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

54. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

In order to measure material information, an Oujie electronic detector can be used to detect the Oujie electrons formed by the incident ion beam from the sample. The erbium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the ougel electron emission spectrum is measured as a function of the position of the erbium ion beam at the surface of the sample. The specific emission line in the spectrum is dedicated to a specific atom type, so Based on the measured spectrum, the composition at each step on the surface of the sample is determined.

To measure topological information from the sample, a total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample, as described in Example 19. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the total secondary electron intensity measurement due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the image, wherein the grayscale at a particular image is determined by the corrected total intensity values. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

55. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. This measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to secondary electron intensity measurements using the incident angle of each ion beam due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Information from the two images measured at different ion beam incident angles can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the sample surface.

56. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

57. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

58. Measurement of the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

59. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

To measure material information, a TOF detector can be used to detect secondary ions and/or atoms formed by the incident ion beam from the sample. The helium ion beam is scanned over a discrete step of the entire FOV region of the sample surface, and the time of flight of the secondary ions and or atoms from the sample 180 is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam at the surface of the sample. Based on the measured flight time of the plasma/atoms and the known voltage of the accelerating electrodes in the TOF instrument, the quality of the detected particles can be calculated and the identity of the particles can be determined.

To measure topological information from the sample, a total secondary electron intensity is measured as a function of the position of the helium ion beam on the sample, as described in Example 19. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the total secondary electron intensity measurement due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, wherein the grayscale at a particular image is determined by the corrected total intensity values. The image provides topology information showing the surface topographical pattern of the sample in the FOV.

60. Measurement of the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total secondary electron intensity from the sample was measured as described in Example 22. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at the incident angle of each ion beam due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 22. Then can be combined from The information of the two images measured by the incident angle of the ion beam is used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographic information about the surface of the sample.

61. Measurement of the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

To measure the topological information of the sample, the total intensity of the secondary electrons from the sample was measured as described in Example 25. The measured material information is then used to remove the contribution to the secondary electron intensity measurement at each detector due to compositional changes in the sample. The corrected total secondary electron intensity values are used to construct a grayscale image of the sample, as described in Example 25. The information from the images measured by the plurality of detectors can then be combined and used to determine quantitative three-dimensional topographical information about the surface of the sample.

62. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 28.

63. Measuring the same topology and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

The topology information of the sample was measured as described in Example 31.

64. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the gas field ion microscope as described herein to the appropriate location on the same holder. The gas field ion microscope is configured as described in Example 192.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 19, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

65. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 20, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

66. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 44, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 21, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

67. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 19, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

68. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 20, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

69. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 49, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 214, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

70. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 19, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

71. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 20, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

72. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 54, the material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 21, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

73. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 192, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

74. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 20, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

75. Measuring the same crystal and material information

To measure the same topology and material information, the sample was mounted in the appropriate position on the same holder in a gas field ion microscope as described herein. The gas field ion microscope was configured as described in Example 19.

As described in Example 59, material information for the sample can be measured.

As described in Example 21, the crystallization information of the sample can be measured.

Other specific embodiments do not depart from the scope of the patent application.

The same reference symbols in the various drawings indicate the same elements.

100‧‧‧ system

110‧‧‧ gas source

120‧‧‧ gas field ion source

130‧‧‧Ion Optics

140‧‧‧sample manipulator

150‧‧‧ front side detector

160‧‧‧Backside detector

170‧‧‧Electronic Control System

172a-172f‧‧‧ communication line

180‧‧‧ sample

181‧‧‧ surface

182‧‧‧ gas

183‧‧‧ surface

192‧‧‧Ion Beam

194‧‧‧ particles

Claims (517)

A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same body to cause a neutral particle to exit the sample; at least one detector Configuring the at least one detector to detect at least some of the primary particles during use; and an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector for electronic processing during use The device may process information based on the one of the detected neutral particles to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic processor processes information based on the detected neutral particles to determine information about the energy of the detected neutral particles. The system of claim 3, wherein the information about the energy of the one of the detected neutral particles is an energy distribution of the primary particles detected. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic processor processes information based on the detected neutral particles to determine information about the trajectory angle of the neutral particles detected. The system of claim 1, wherein the electronic processor processes information based on the detected neutral particles to determine information about the trajectory angle of the neutral particles detected. The system of claim 6, wherein the information about the angles of the trajectories of the one of the detected neutral particles is the angles of the trajectories of the one of the detected neutral particles A distribution. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector is configured to provide angle analysis information about the primary particles of the detection. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors positioned at different angles relative to the sample. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one detector comprises a half sphere detector. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one detector is movable between a first solid angle relative to one of the samples and a second solid angle relative to one of the samples. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one detector is capable of providing a signal based on the energy of the given one of the neutral particles for a given primary particle. The system of claim 13, wherein the at least one detector is configured to provide angle analysis information about the primary particle of the detection. The system of claim 1 further comprising a device electrically coupled to the system to pulse the ion beam during use. The system of claim 15 further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the primary particles during use. The system of claim 1 further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the primary neutral particles during use. The system of claim 1, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use, and at least one of the detectors is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface One surface is opposite. The system of claim 1, wherein during use: the gas field ion source interacts with the sample to cause additional particles to exit the sample, the additional particles being selected from the group consisting of electrons and scattering ions; the at least one The detector is configured to detect at least some of the scattered ions; and the electronic processor can process information based on the detected scattered ions to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 1, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 1, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The system of claim 1, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of a sample. The system of claim 1, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. A system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is a scanning cesium ion microscope. The system of claim 1, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause photons to exit the sample; at least one detector configured to The at least one detector can detect at least some of the photons during use; and an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector such that the electronic processor can be responsive to the detector during use The photon is processed to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 30, wherein the photons are selected from the group consisting of IR photons, photons, UV photons, and X-ray photons. The system of claim 30, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, Crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and optical information about the sample . The system of claim 30, wherein the electronic processor processes information according to the detected photons to determine an energy for the detected photons, the wavelengths of the detected photons, or both News. The system of claim 33, wherein the information about the energy of the detected photons is an energy distribution of the detected photons, a wavelength distribution of the detected photons, or both. The system of claim 30, wherein for a given detected photon, the at least one detector is configured to provide information about the detected photons based on a wavelength of the detected photon. The system of claim 30, wherein for a given detected photon, the at least one detector is configured to provide information about the detected photons based on an energy of the detected photons. The system of claim 30, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 30, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use and at least one of the detectors is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface One surface is opposite. A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the system is configured to determine one of a species of photons to be detected to excite the time. The system of claim 30, wherein the system is configured to pulse the ion beam and determine a period of time between pulsed delivery of the ion beam and detection of a given photon. The system of claim 30, further comprising at least one optical component. The system of claim 41, wherein the optical elements are selected from the group consisting of a mirror and a lens. The system of claim 41, wherein the optical elements are capable of spectrally resolving the detected photons. The system of claim 43, wherein the optical elements are selected from the group consisting of a grating and a crucible. The system of claim 41, wherein the at least one optical component is configured to increase a detected solid angle. The system of claim 30, further comprising a polarizer configured to determine polarization information about the detected photons. The system of claim 30, wherein during use: the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes additional particles to exit the sample, the additional particles being selected from the group consisting of electrons, scattered ions, and primary particles. The at least one detector is configured to detect at least some of the additional particles; and the electronic processor can process information based on the detected additional particles to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 30, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 30, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. A system of claim 30, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 30, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 30, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 30, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 30, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. A system as claimed in claim 30, wherein the system is a scanning helium ion microscope. The system of claim 30, wherein the at least one detector is selected from the group consisting of an optical multiplexer, a diode, a diode array, and a CCD device. The system of claim 30, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same to cause secondary ions to exit the sample; at least one detector configured The at least one detector can detect at least some of the secondary ions during use; and an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector so that the electronic processor can be used during use Information about the sample is determined based on the secondary ion processing information of the detection. The system of claim 59, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, Crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison on the surface of one of the samples A group of voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and optical information about the sample. The system of claim 59, wherein the electronic processor processes the information based on the detected secondary ions to determine information about the quality of the detected secondary ions. The system of claim 59, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 59, further comprising a device electrically coupled to the system to pulse the ion beam during use. The system of claim 63, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the secondary ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The system of claim 59, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the secondary ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The system of claim 59, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use and at least one of the detectors is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface One surface is opposite. The system of claim 59, wherein during use: the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes additional particles to exit the sample, the additional particles being selected from the group consisting of electrons, scattered ions, primary neutral particles, and photons a group of the at least one detector configured to detect at least the additional particles Some; and the electronic processor can process information based on the detected additional particles to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 59, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 59, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The system of claim 59, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 59, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 59, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 59, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 59, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 59, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. The system of claim 59, wherein the system is a scanning cesium ion microscope. The system of claim 59, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same to cause secondary neutral particles to exit the sample; at least one detector Is configured to be at least one detection during use Detecting at least some of the secondary neutral particles; and an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector, such that the electronic processor can detect the second detection during use The secondary neutral particle processes the information to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 78, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The system of claim 78, wherein the electronic processor processes information based on the detected secondary neutral particles to determine information about the quality of the detected secondary neutral particles. The system of claim 78, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 78, further comprising a device electrically coupled to the system to pulse the ion beam during use. The system of claim 82, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the primary particles during use. The system of claim 78, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the primary particles during use. The system of claim 78, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use and at least one of the detectors is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface One surface is opposite. The system of claim 78, wherein during use: the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes additional particles to exit the sample, the additional particles being selected from the group consisting of electrons, scattered ions, primary neutral particles, photons, and a group of secondary ions; the at least one detector is configured to detect at least some of the additional particles; and the electronic processor can process information based on the detected additional particles to determine Sample information. The system of claim 78, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 78, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The system of claim 78, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of one of the samples. The system of claim 78, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of one of the samples. The system of claim 78, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 78, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 78, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 78, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. The system of claim 78, wherein the system is a scanning helium ion microscope. The system of claim 78, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same electron to cause the electron to exit the sample; at least one detector configured The at least one detector can detect at least some of the electronic components during use; and an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector so that the electronic processor can be used during use Information on the sample is determined based on the information detected by the company. The system of claim 97, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The system of claim 97, wherein the electronic processor can process information based on the detected electronic signals to determine information about the energy of the detected electronic components. The system of claim 99, wherein the information about the energy of the detected electronic components is an energy distribution of the detected electronic components. The system of claim 97, wherein the at least one detector comprises multiple detections Device. The system of claim 97, wherein for a given oujie electronic, the at least one detector is capable of providing a signal based on the energy of the given oujie electron. The system of claim 97, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use and at least one of the detectors is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface One surface is opposite. The system of claim 97, further comprising at least one electron collecting optical element. The system of claim 104, wherein the at least one electron collecting optical element comprises an electrostatic lens system. The system of claim 104, wherein the at least one electron collecting optical component is configured to increase a detected solid angle. The system of claim 97, wherein during use: the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes additional particles to exit the sample, the additional particles being selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, scattered ions, primary neutral particles, photons a group of secondary ions and secondary scattering neutral particles; the at least one detector is configured to detect at least some of the additional particles; and the electronic processor can be based on the additional detection The particle processes the information to determine information about the sample. The system of claim 97, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 97, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The system of claim 97, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 97, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 97, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 97, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 97, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 97, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. The system of claim 97, wherein the system is a scanning cesium ion microscope. The system of claim 97, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to generate an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause ions to exit the sample; and at least one detector configured to The at least one detector can detect the plasma during use, wherein the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes secondary electrons to exit the sample, and when the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes a second When the electron leaves the sample, the at least one detector can detect at least some of the plasma without detecting the secondary electrons. The system of claim 118, wherein the at least one detector comprises a detector selected from the group consisting of a solid state detector, a scintillation detector, a chirp detector, A group of conversion boards and quadrupole detectors. The system of claim 118, further comprising a device having a bias voltage such that the device substantially delivers ions having an energy greater than a minimum energy, the device being placed in the sample and the at least one detector between. The system of claim 118, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 118, further comprising an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector, such that during use, the electronic processor can process information based on the detected ions to determine the sample The information. The system of claim 122, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The system of claim 118, further comprising a device that can deflect electrons from the at least one detector. The system of claim 118, wherein the at least one detector is configured to determine information about the energy of the detected ions. The system of claim 125, wherein the at least one detector is configured to determine information about a trajectory angle of the detected ions. The system of claim 118, wherein the at least one detector is configured to use To determine information about the trajectory angle of the detected ions. A system of claim 118, wherein the plasma comprises scattered ions. The system of claim 128, wherein the plasma comprises a secondary ion. A system of claim 118, wherein the plasma comprises secondary ions. The system of claim 118, further comprising a device electrically coupled to the system to pulse the ion beam during use. The system of claim 131, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the particles during use. The system of claim 118, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the particles during use. The system of claim 118, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 118, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. A system of claim 118, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 118, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. A system as claimed in claim 118, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 118, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 118, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 118, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. The system of claim 118, wherein the system is a scanning helium ion microscope. The system of claim 118, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same body to cause neutral particles to exit the sample; and at least one detector Configuring the at least one detector to detect the neutral particles during use, wherein the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes secondary electrons to exit the sample, and when the ion beam is associated with the sample When the interaction causes the secondary electrons to leave the sample, the at least one detector can detect at least some of the neutral particles without detecting the secondary electrons. The system of claim 144, wherein the at least one detector comprises a detector selected from the group consisting of an Everhart-Thornley detector, a microchannel detector, a channel detector, a solid state detector, and a phosphor A group of detectors, conversion boards, and flicker detectors. The system of claim 144, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 144, further comprising an electronic processor electrically coupled to the at least one detector for use in the electronic processor during use The information can be processed based on the detected neutral particles to determine the information about the sample. The system of claim 147, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The system of claim 144, wherein the at least one detector is configured to determine information about the energy of the detected neutral particles. The system of claim 149, wherein the at least one detector is configured to determine information about the trajectory angle of the detected neutral particles. The system of claim 144, wherein the at least one detector is configured to determine information about the trajectory angle of the detected neutral particles. A system of claim 144, wherein the neutral particles comprise a neutral particle. The system of claim 152, wherein the neutral particles comprise secondary neutral particles. A system of claim 144, wherein the neutral particles comprise secondary neutral particles. The system of claim 144, further comprising at least one component to substantially prevent ions from reaching the at least one detector. The system of claim 155, wherein the at least one component is an electrostatic component . The system of claim 155, further comprising at least one component to substantially prevent electrons from reaching the at least one detector. The system of claim 144, further comprising at least one component to substantially prevent electrons from reaching the at least one detector. The system of claim 144, further comprising a device electrically coupled to the system to pulse the ion beam during use. The system of claim 159, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the particles during use. The system of claim 144, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time of flight information of the particles during use. A system of claim 144, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 144, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. A system of claim 144, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. A system of claim 144, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. A system as claimed in claim 144, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 144, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope . A system as claimed in item 144, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. A system as claimed in item 144, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. A system as claimed in item 144, wherein the system is a scanning helium ion microscope. The system of claim 144, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A system comprising: a gas field ion source capable of interacting with a gas to produce an ion beam that can interact with the same species to cause photons to exit the sample; and at least one detector configured to The detector can detect the photons during use, wherein the interaction of the ion beam with the sample causes secondary electrons to leave the sample, and the interaction between the ion beam and the sample causes secondary electrons When leaving the sample, the at least one detector can detect at least some of the photons without detecting the secondary electrons. The system of claim 172, wherein the photons are selected from the group consisting of IR photons, photons, UV photons, and X-ray photons. The system of claim 172, wherein the at least one detector comprises a detector selected from the group consisting of an optical multiplexer tube, a diode, a diode array, and a charge coupled device. The system of claim 172, wherein the at least one detector comprises a plurality of detectors. The system of claim 172, further comprising electrically connecting to the at least one An electronic processor of the detectors, such that the electronic processor can process information based on the detected photons during use to determine the information about the sample. The system of claim 176, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The system of claim 172, wherein the at least one detector is configured to determine information about the energy of the detected photons, the wavelength of the detected photons, or both. The system of claim 172, further comprising a filter configured to substantially block photons having a predetermined wavelength. The system of claim 179, further comprising a filter configured to substantially block photons having a predetermined polarization. The system of claim 172, further comprising a filter configured to block photons having a predetermined polarization. The system of claim 172, further comprising a device electrically coupled to the system to pulse the ion beam during use. The system of claim 182, wherein the at least one detector is configured to detect photons based on the pulses of the ion beam. The system of claim 172, further comprising at least one optical component. The system of claim 184, wherein the optical components are selected from the group consisting of a mirror and a lens. The system of claim 184, wherein the at least one optical component is configured to increase a detected solid angle. The system of claim 184, wherein the optical elements are capable of spectrally resolving the detected photons. The system of claim 187, wherein the optical elements are selected from the group consisting of a grating and a crucible. The system of claim 172, further comprising a polarizer configured to determine polarization information about the detected photons. A system of claim 172, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The system of claim 172, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The system of claim 172, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The system of claim 172, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. A system of claim 172, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The system of claim 172, wherein the system is a gas field ion microscope. The system of claim 172, wherein the system is a helium ion microscope. The system of claim 172, wherein the system is a scanning ion microscope. The system of claim 172, wherein the system is a scanning helium ion microscope. The system of claim 172, wherein the gas field ion source comprises a conductive tip having a terminal frame of 20 atoms or less. A method comprising: interacting an ion beam with an isotype to cause a plurality of different types of particles to exit the sample; and detecting at least two different types of particles of the plurality of different types of particles, wherein the plurality Different types of particles are selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons. The method of claim 200, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the detected particles, selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, Material composition information of a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and about the sample A group of optical information. The method of claim 201, wherein the ion beam is generated via interaction of a gas with a gas field ion source. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam is generated via interaction of a gas with a gas field ion source. The method of claim 200, wherein the method comprises pulsing the ion bundle. The method of claim 204, further comprising measuring time-of-flight information of the detected particles. The method of claim 200, further comprising measuring time-of-flight information of the detected particles. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample and is configured to detect that one of the particles is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface being The first surface is opposite. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5x10 ⁸ A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 200, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 200, wherein the method is performed using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 200, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 200, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 200, wherein the method is performed using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 200, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ by one atomic number. The method of claim 200, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ in mass by one atomic mass unit. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; interacting the ion beam with the same body to cause the particles to leave the sample, the plurality of different types of particles being selected a group of free oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons; and detecting at least some of the particles to determine information about the sample. The method of claim 219, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 219, wherein the method comprises pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 221, further comprising measuring time-of-flight information of the detected particles. The method of claim 219, further comprising measuring time-of-flight information of the detected particles. The method of claim 219, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample and is configured to detect that one of the particles is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface being The first surface is opposite. The method of claim 219, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 219, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 219, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 219, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 219, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 219, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 219, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 219, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 219, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 219, wherein the method distinguishes between atomic numbers and one The atoms in the sample. The method of claim 219, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample having a mass difference of one atomic mass unit. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas field ion source with a gas; causing the ion beam to interact with the same sample to cause the particle to leave the sample; and detecting by the detector An energy of one of the particles produces a signal from a detector. The method of claim 236, wherein the particles are selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons. The method of claim 236, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the energy of the detected particle, selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, Information about the material composition of the primary surface region of the sample, information about the crystallization of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface region of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and A group of optical information of the sample. The method of claim 236, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected particles. The method of claim 239, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the energy of the detected particle, selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, turn off Material composition information of a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and A group of optical information of the sample. The method of claim 236, wherein the method comprises pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 241, further comprising measuring flight time information for the particles. The method of claim 236, further comprising measuring flight time information for the particles. The method of claim 236, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample and is configured to detect that one of the particles is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface being The first surface is opposite. The method of claim 236, wherein the at least one detector is used to detect the particles, the at least one detector comprises a detector selected from the group consisting of a solid state detector, a scintillation detector, and a detector A group of detectors, conversion boards, and quadrupole detectors. The method of claim 236, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 236, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 236, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 236, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 236, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 236, wherein the method is performed using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 236, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 236, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 236, wherein the method is performed using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 236, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ by one atomic number. The method of claim 236, wherein the method includes generating a signal from the detector based on the energy of the particles detected by the detector. The method of claim 256, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected particles. The method of claim 257, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the energy of the detected particles, selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, a material composition of a surface of the sample Information, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, and magnetic information about the sample And a group of optical information about the sample. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas field ion source with a gas; causing the ion beam to interact with the same sample to cause the particle to leave the sample; and detecting by the detector One of the trajectories of one of the particles produces a signal from a detector. The method of claim 259, wherein the particles are selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, oujie electrons, secondary ions, secondary neutral particles, primary neutral particles, scattered ions, and photons. The method of claim 259, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the detected particles, the information about the sample being selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, a material composition of a surface of the sample Information, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, and magnetic information about the sample And a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 259, further comprising determining information about the angle of the trajectory of the detected particles. The method of claim 262, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the angle of the trajectory of the detected particle, selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, surface of one of the samples Material composition information, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, and the like This magnetic information and the group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 259, wherein the method comprises pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 264, further comprising measuring flight time information for the particles. The method of claim 259, further comprising measuring flight time information for the particles. The method of claim 259, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample and is configured to detect that one of the particles is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface being The first surface is opposite. The method of claim 259, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 259, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 259, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 259, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 259, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 259, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 259, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 259, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 259, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 259, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ by one atomic number. The method of claim 259, wherein the method comprises generating a signal from a detector based on a corresponding angle of the trajectory of the particles detected by the detector. The method of claim 278, further comprising determining information about the equal angles of the trajectories of the detected particles. The method of claim 279, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the angles of the trajectories of the detected particles, selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, the sample Material composition information of a surface, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, The magnetic information of the sample and the group of optical information about the sample. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; interacting the ion beam with the same body to cause the scattered ions to leave the sample; detecting at least the scattered ions Some; and determining information about the sample based on the detected scattered ions. The method of claim 281, wherein the information about the sample is selected from Layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of one surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, crystallization information about the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface of the sample, A group of voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and optical information about the sample. The method of claim 281, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected scattered ions. The method of claim 283, wherein the information regarding the energy of the detected scattered ions is an energy distribution of the detected scattered ions. The method of claim 283, further comprising determining information about the trajectory angle of the detected scattered ions. The method of claim 281, further comprising determining information about the trajectory angle of the detected scattered ions. The method of claim 286, wherein the information about the angles of the trajectories of the detected scattered ions is a distribution of the angles of the detected trajectories of the scattered ions. The method of claim 281, wherein the method comprises using a plurality of detectors. The method of claim 288, wherein the plurality of detectors are positioned at different angles relative to the sample. The method of claim 288, wherein the at least one detector comprises a half sphere detector. The method of claim 288, further comprising moving the one or more detectors from a first solid angle relative to one of the samples to a second one of the samples Solid angle. The method of claim 281, further comprising pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 292, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected scattered ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 281, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected scattered ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 281, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use, and the at least one detector is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface and the first surface in contrast. The method of claim 281, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 281, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 281, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5x10 ⁸ A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 281, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 281, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 281, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 281, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 281, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 281, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 281, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ by one atomic number. The method of claim 281, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ in mass by one atomic mass unit. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; interacting the ion beam with the same body to cause a neutral particle to leave the sample; detecting the first time At least some of the particles; and determining information about the sample based on the one of the detected neutral particles. The method of claim 307, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 307, further comprising determining the detection Information about the energy of a neutral particle. The method of claim 309, wherein the information about the detected scattered energy of the primary particles is an energy distribution of the detected primary particles. The method of claim 309, further comprising determining information about a trajectory angle of the neutral particles of the detection. The method of claim 307, further comprising determining information about a trajectory angle of the neutral particles of the detection. The method of claim 312, wherein the information about the angles of the trajectories of the first neutral particles of the detected ones is the angles of the trajectories of the one of the detected neutral particles A distribution. The method of claim 307, wherein the method comprises using a plurality of detectors. The method of claim 314, wherein the plurality of detectors are positioned at different angles relative to the sample. The method of claim 314, wherein the at least one detector comprises a half sphere detector. The method of claim 314, further comprising moving the one or more detectors from a first solid angle relative to one of the samples to a second solid angle relative to one of the samples. The method of claim 307, further comprising pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 318, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected scattered neutral particles during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 307, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected scattered neutral particles during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use, and the at least one detector is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface and the first surface in contrast. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam interacts with the same form to form a scattering ion, and the method further comprises: detecting at least some of the scattered ions; and determining the sample based on the detected scattered ions Information. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 307, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 307, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 307, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 307, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 307, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 307, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample that differ by one atomic number. The method of claim 307, wherein the method distinguishes atoms within the sample having a mass difference of one atomic mass unit. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; causing the ion beam to interact with the same photo to cause photons to exit the sample; detecting at least some of the photons; And determining information about the sample based on the detected photons. The method of claim 334, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 334, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected photons, a wavelength of the detected photons, or both. The method of claim 336, wherein the information about the energy of the detected photons is an energy distribution of the detected photons. The method of claim 336, wherein the information about the wavelength of the detected photons is a wavelength distribution of the detected photons. The method of claim 334, wherein the method comprises using a plurality of detectors. The method of claim 334, further comprising pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 334, further comprising deciding one of a species that determines to establish a detected photon. The method of claim 334, further comprising pulse transporting the ion beam and determining a period of time between the pulsed delivery of the ion beam and the detection of a given photon. The method of claim 334, further comprising causing the detected photons to pass through the at least one optical component prior to being detected. The method of claim 343, wherein the at least one optical component is selected from the group consisting of a mirror and a lens. The method of claim 343, wherein the at least one optical component is configured to increase a detected solid angle. The method of claim 343, wherein the at least one optical component is capable of spectrally resolving the detected photons. The method of claim 346, wherein the optical elements are selected from the group consisting of a grating and a crucible. The method of claim 334, further comprising passing the detected particles through a polarizer to determine polarization information about the detected photons. The method of claim 334, wherein the ion beam interacts with the same form to form additional particles selected from the group consisting of scattered ions and primary particles. And the method further comprising: detecting at least some of the additional particles; and determining information about the sample based on the detected additional particles. The method of claim 334, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 334, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 334, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 334, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 334, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 334, wherein the method is performed using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 334, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 334, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 334, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 334, wherein the photodetector is detected by a detector selected from the group consisting of an optical multiplexer, a diode, a diode array, and a CCD device. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; interacting the ion beam with the same, to cause the secondary ion to leave the sample; and detecting the second At least some of the ions. The method of claim 360, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the detected secondary ions. The method of claim 360, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 360, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected secondary ions. The method of claim 363, wherein the information about the energy of the detected secondary ions is an energy distribution of the detected secondary ions. The method of claim 360, wherein the method comprises using a plurality of detectors. The method of claim 360, further comprising pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 366, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected secondary ions during use. The method of claim 360, further comprising a time of flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected secondary ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use and the at least one detector is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface and the first surface in contrast. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam interacts with the same form to form additional particles selected from the group consisting of scattered ions, primary neutral particles, and photons, and the method further comprises: detecting the At least some of the additional particles; and determining information about the sample based on the additional particles detected. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on one surface of the sample. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 360, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 360, wherein the method is performed using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 360, wherein the method is performed using a helium ion microscope law. The method of claim 360, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 360, wherein the method is performed using a scanning helium ion microscope. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; interacting the ion beam with the same, to cause the secondary neutral particles to leave the sample; and detecting the At least some of the secondary neutral particles or particles obtained from the secondary neutral particles. The method of claim 380, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the detected neutral particles or the detected particles obtained from the neutral particles. The method of claim 380, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 380, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected secondary neutral particles. The method of claim 383, wherein the secondary neutral particles are detected This information of the energy is an energy distribution of the detected secondary neutral particles. The method of claim 380, wherein the method comprises using a plurality of detectors. The method of claim 380, further comprising pulsing the ion beam. The method of claim 386, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected secondary neutral ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 380, further comprising a time-of-flight subsystem configured to measure time-of-flight information of the detected secondary neutral ions during use by the time-of-flight subsystem. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use, and the at least one detector is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface and the first surface in contrast. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam interacts with the same form to form additional particles selected from the group consisting of scattered ions, primary secondary neutral particles, photons, and secondary ions, and the method further Including: detecting at least some of the additional particles; and determining information about the sample based on the additional particles detected. The method of claim 380, wherein the method comprises detecting particles obtained from the secondary neutral particles. The method of claim 391, further comprising ionizing the secondary neutral particles to provide particles obtained from the secondary neutral particles. The method of claim 392, wherein the secondary neutral particles are ionized by exposure to a laser, an electron beam, or both. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 380, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 380, wherein the method is performed using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 380, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 380, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 380, wherein the method is performed using a scanning helium ion microscope. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; causing the ion beam to interact with the same electron to cause the electron to leave the sample; Detect at least some of these gejie electronics. The method of claim 403, further comprising determining information about the sample based on the detected electronic components. The method of claim 403, wherein the information about the sample is selected from layout information about a surface of the sample, material composition information of a surface of the sample, material composition information about a surface area of the sample, The crystallization information of the sample, voltage comparison information about one surface of the sample, voltage comparison information about a surface area of the sample, magnetic information about the sample, and a group of optical information about the sample. The method of claim 403, further comprising determining information about the energy of the detected electronic components. The method of claim 406, wherein the information about the energy of the detected electronic components is an energy distribution of the detected electronic components. The method of claim 403, wherein the method comprises using a plurality of detectors. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam strikes a first surface of the sample during use, and the at least one detector is positioned adjacent to a second surface of the sample, the second surface and the first surface in contrast. The method of claim 403, further comprising causing the detected electronic components to pass through the at least one electron collecting optical element prior to being detected. The method of claim 410, wherein the at least one electron collecting optical element comprises an electrostatic lens system. The method of claim 410, wherein the at least one electron collecting optical component is configured to increase a detected solid angle. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam interacts with the same form to form additional particles selected from the group consisting of scattered ions, primary secondary neutral particles, photons, secondary ions, and secondary neutral particles. The group, and the method further comprising: detecting at least some of the additional particles; and determining information about the sample based on the additional particles detected. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5x10 ⁸ A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 403, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 403, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 403, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 403, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 403, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. The method of claim 403, wherein the sample is a semiconductor article. The method of claim 423, wherein the semiconductor article comprises a metal. The method of claim 424, wherein the information about the sample includes information about the metal. The method of claim 424, wherein the metal is in the form of a line, a joint, or a channel. The method of claim 403, wherein the sample comprises a metal. The method of claim 427, further comprising determining information about the metal based on the detected electronic components. The method of claim 428, wherein the information about the metal comprises material composition information. The method of claim 429, wherein the material composition information comprises stoichiometric information. The method of claim 403, further comprising determining structural information about the sample based on the detected electronic components. The method of claim 403, wherein the information about the sample comprises surface information. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; causing the ion beam to interact with the same sample to cause the particle to exit the sample; detecting at least some of the particles; And determining crystallization information about the sample based on the detected particles. The method of claim 433, wherein the crystallization information about the sample is selected from the group consisting of particle size information, crystal orientation information, crystal structure information, and large crystals. A group of small information and lattice spacing information. The method of claim 433, wherein the detected particles are detected by an angle analysis. The method of claim 433, further comprising changing the angle of the ion beam relative to the surface of the sample while detecting the particles. The method of claim 433, wherein the particles are selected from the group consisting of secondary electrons, scattered ions, and primary neutral particles. The method of claim 433, wherein determining the crystallization information about the sample comprises determining a strength of a secondary electron emitted from the surface of the sample as a function of surface position. The method of claim 433, wherein determining the crystallization information about the sample comprises determining a strength of a particle emitted from the surface as a function of surface position selected from the group consisting of scattered ions and primary particles. The group that makes up. The method of claim 439, further comprising detecting the scattered primary particles in an angular resolution manner. The method of claim 433, wherein the sample is a semiconductor article. The method of claim 441, wherein the semiconductor article comprises a metal. The method of claim 442, wherein the crystallization information about the sample comprises information about the metal. The method of claim 443, wherein the metal is in the form of a line, a joint, or a channel. The method of claim 433, wherein the sample comprises a metal. The method of claim 433, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 433, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 433, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5x10 ⁸ A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 433, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 433, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 433, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 433, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 433, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 433, wherein the method is performed using a scanning helium ion microscope. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; inducing a voltage on a portion of the sample; and detecting the particle to determine voltage comparison information about the sample. The method of claim 455, wherein the ion beam is for inducing the voltage on the portion of the sample. The method of claim 456, wherein an electron beam is used to generate the particles. The method of claim 456, wherein the ion beam is used to generate the particles. The method of claim 455, wherein the electron beam is used to induce the voltage on the portion of the sample. The method of claim 459, wherein the ion beam is used to generate the particles. The method of claim 455, wherein the sample comprises a first region having a first induced voltage and a second region having a second induced voltage, the second induced voltage being different from the first induced voltage. The method of claim 455, wherein the sample comprises a semiconductor article. The method of claim 462, wherein the semiconductor article comprises a metal. The method of claim 463, wherein the metal is in the form of a line, a joint, or a channel. The method of claim 455, wherein the sample comprises a metal. The method of claim 455, wherein the conductivity characteristic of the sample is determined based on the voltage contrast characteristics. The method of claim 455, wherein the capacitance characteristic of the sample is determined based on the voltage contrast characteristics. The method of claim 455, wherein the voltage induced in the sample is induced by a charge in a surface region of the sample. The method of claim 455, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 455, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 455, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 455, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 455, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 455, wherein the method is carried out using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 455, wherein the method is carried out using a helium ion microscope. The method of claim 455, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 455, wherein the method is carried out using a scanning helium ion microscope. A method comprising: generating an ion beam by interacting a gas with a gas field ion source; interacting the ion beam with the same body to cause the particle to leave the sample, the sample comprising at least a first material and a second material; and distinguishing the first and second materials based on the particles. The method of claim 478, wherein the first and second materials have the same chemical composition and different crystallization characteristics. The method of claim 478, wherein the first and second materials have different chemical compositions. The method of claim 478, wherein the sample comprises a semiconductor article. In the method of claim 478, one of the materials comprises a gate material and the other material is selected from the group consisting of a semiconducting material and a conductive material. The method of claim 482, wherein the gate material comprises an oxide. The method of claim 482, wherein the gate material comprises niobium oxynitride. The method of claim 482, wherein the gate material comprises germanium. The method of claim 482, wherein the gate material comprises cerium oxide. The method of claim 482, wherein the gate material is selected from the group consisting of cerium oxide, oxynitride, and cerium oxynitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first and second materials comprise the same elemental composition, and the first and second materials have different stoichiometry. The method of claim 488, wherein the first and second materials comprise an oxide. The method of claim 488, wherein the first and second materials comprise ruthenium. The method of claim 488, wherein the first and second materials comprise ruthenium. The method of claim 488, wherein the first and second materials are selected from the group consisting of bismuth oxynitride, cerium oxide, and cerium oxide. The method of claim 478, wherein the first material comprises tungsten. The method of claim 493, wherein the second material comprises ruthenium. The method of claim 478, wherein the first material comprises a tungsten germanium. The method of claim 495, wherein the second material comprises tantalum tungsten nitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises niobium titanium nitride. The method of claim 497, wherein the second material comprises tungsten. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises niobium nitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises niobium titanium nitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises niobium nitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises niobium nitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises niobium nitride. The method of claim 478, wherein the first metal comprises a non-stoichiometric material. The method of claim 478, further comprising determining material composition information about the sample at different regions of the sample. The method of claim 505, wherein the method determines whether the stoichiometry of the first material varies in different regions of the sample. The method of claim 478, wherein the method determines whether the stoichiometry of the first material varies in different regions of the sample. The method of claim 478, wherein the first and second materials have the same chemical composition and different isotopic ratios. The method of claim 478, wherein the ion beam has a reduced spread of 1 x 10 ^-16 cm ² srV or less. The method of claim 478, wherein the ion beam has a spread of 5 x 10 ^-21 cm ² sr or less. The method of claim 478, wherein the ion beam has a reduced brightness of 5 x ^{10 8} A/m ² srV or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 478, wherein the ion beam has a brightness of 1 x 10 ⁹ A/cm ² sr or greater on a surface of the sample. The method of claim 478, wherein the ion beam has a spot size on one of the surfaces of the sample, which has a size of 10 nm or less. The method of claim 478, wherein the method is performed using a gas field ion microscope. The method of claim 478, wherein the method is performed using a helium ion microscope law. The method of claim 478, wherein the method is performed using a scanning ion microscope. The method of claim 478, wherein the method is performed using a scanning helium ion microscope.